“My neighbor’s been shot, please, please hurry,” the 911 caller told dispatchers. “I just heard gunshots and I opened my door and my hallway’s covered in blood.”
>> RELATED: ‘We’re grieving’; Man killed in Catalpa Drive shooting identified
A second 911 caller told crews there was a second shooting victim.
“I have a young lady that’s been shot,” the caller said. “Her and her boyfriend have been shot.”
Deputies found Deonte Ballinger, 25, dead inside the apartment building and his girlfriend, believed to be in her 20s, shot in the shoulder.
Ballinger’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
>> Victim killed in shooting on Third Street in Dayton ID’ed
News Center 7's Mike Campbell spoke with investigators about what they think led up to an apparent ambush.
“It’s a tragic loss of a young man and then we have a young lady that’s shot and suffered serious injuries,” Maj. Matt Haines said.
Sheriff’s deputies believe two people came to the apartment, but they don’t know if any words were exchanged with the couple. They’re also not sure if the woman was a target.
“We did discover some narcotics inside the apartment that was consistent with trafficking in narcotics and not personal-use type quantities,” Haines said.
>> 911 caller saw victim on the ground after he was shot in an unlicensed bar
Investigators say they hope friends and families of the victims can help them with information that lead to the people responsible for this attack.
“If they know something, no matter how trivial they think it is, it could be a valuable piece of this case,” Haines said.
Detectives are working to track down the motive and information they need to make arrests in this case.
About the Author