‘It was very scary;’ Clayton officer still hospitalized after being shot, suspect found dead

CLAYTON — A local police officer remains hospitalized after being shot in Clayton Thursday afternoon while serving a warrant.

>>PHOTOS: Police officer shot, large investigation involving SWAT responds to Clayton neighborhood

News Center 7 reported Thursday that the officer was serving the warrant at a house in the 300 block of Hacker Road when a male shot and wounded the officer, according to Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck.

A SWAT team located the man hours later and believed he shot himself.

The police officer who was shot in the arm was taken into surgery at Miami Valley Hospital and at last word was said to be in stable condition.

News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson is reporting live from Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and will have updates during News Center 7′s Daybreak.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sheriff: Male suspected of shooting, wounding Clayton police officer dies by suicide

This all started around 1:45 p.m. Thursday afternoon when Clayton Police arrived in the 300 block of Hacker Road for a man with a warrant for aggravated menacing, according to Clayton Police Chief Matthew Hamlin.

Officers, when they arrived, spoke with the owners of the residence and the subject ran inside. They went upstairs to try to make contact with him. Once they made their way to the second floor, the suspect began firing a firearm, Hamlin said.

Two adults and two children in the home escaped safely. One of the four jumped from the second floor, according to Hamlin.

The gunfire and the man’s refusal to come out of the house prompted a large law enforcement turnout. A “Signal 99″ or call for additional law enforcement assistance was issued at about 2:15 p.m., according to initial Montgomery County Regional Dispatch emergency radio traffic.

SWAT units responded to that same call.

The Clayton Police Department asked people on social media to avoid the area of Main Street between Greenview and Barrington while the investigation was active.

Streck told News Center 7 on Thursday that a drone found the man’s body in the house.

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News Center 7 had a crew at Miami Valley Hospital around 2:30 p.m. when Clayton medics pulled in with the sirens on.

Chief told News Center 7 on Thursday that everyone has come together to rally around the officer who was shot.

“Everybody’s banding together, and yes, everybody’s helping out,” he said.

Thursday evening, multiple law enforcement agencies including Englewood, Wilmington, Springboro, and others went to social media to express support for the wounded Clayton officer.

>>Area law enforcement agencies show support for Clayton officer

News Center 7 also spoke with one of the nearby neighbors on Thursday afternoon.

Sandy Freeman said she heard dozens of law enforcement agencies near her home and when she locked out, she saw Clayton, Englewood, Dayton, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s cruisers flying down the street.

“It was very scary, and I was home alone. My husband was trying to get home,” she told News Center 7. “He was on his way, and I was talking to him on the phone telling him how to get into the neighborhood to get home.”

News Center 7 will continue to update this developing report as more information becomes available.

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