‘I heard gunshots, saw a lot of people running;’ 911 calls describe drive-by shooting in Dayton

DAYTON — Callers described what they saw after shots were fired following a drive-by shooting near Levitt Pavilion in Dayton Tuesday afternoon.

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Dayton Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of South Jefferson Street on initial reports of a shooting after receiving multiple calls, Lt. Jeffrey Thomas told News Center 7 Tuesday night.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man and woman who non-life-threatening injuries.

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Several 911 callers described to dispatchers what they saw late Tuesday afternoon.

“A guy in a grey hoodie just came up from the back seat with an automatic weapon and started firing,” a male caller told dispatchers in phone calls News Center 7 obtained through a public records request.

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The caller said he was waiting to turn left on Fourth Street, and he saw them firing shots out the back window.

“I just seen a bunch of people running,” he said. “There are hundreds of people out here and they’re just firing.”

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The callers described the suspect’s vehicle as silvery, gray. A female caller described to dispatchers what she saw.

“They were sitting at the light, going north on Jefferson,” she said. “They went through the light, firing shots. They went around the corner and went west on Fourth Street.”

She told dispatchers she may have heard six or seven gunshots.

“It was a handgun, but not a typical handgun, something with two grips,” she described to dispatchers. “It didn’t look like a pistol or revolver. It looked like something that had a clip.”

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A second male caller told dispatchers he heard gunshots near the RTA bus station.

“I heard gunshots and saw a lot of people running,” he said. “I saw an SUV turn hard through the red light on East Third Street.”

The caller said heard as many as 10 to 12 gunshots and that the vehicle was flying while heading north on Jefferson Street.

The shooting remains under investigation by Dayton Police Department.

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Levitt Pavilion Shooting (Staff)

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