VANDALIA — Two people, described as suspects, are dead after being shot by Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) troopers during an hours-long standoff and hostage situation in Vandalia Wednesday morning.
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Troopers shot both suspects that are accused of carjacking a semitrailer in Madison County and holding the driver hostage during a multi-county chase that ended on Dayton International Airport Access Road.
Both suspects were taken to Miami Valley Hospital. It was there that the female suspect died from her injuries. The male suspect was originally listed in critical condition, however state troopers said he later died from his injuries.
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The incident started around 1 a.m. when London police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the suspects’ vehicle. As an officer was conducting the stop, the suspects drove away. Police Chief Glenn Nicol said they drove to a truck stop outside of London.
Once at the truck stop, they got out of their vehicle and began to run. When an officer tried to tase them, the male suspect pointed a gun at the officer.
The suspects then carjacked a Werner semi with the driver inside of it. As they drove away, the truck hit a London police cruiser.
Law enforcement chased the suspects in the semi through Clark, Greene, Madison, and Montgomery counties before ending near the Dayton International Airport just before 3:30 a.m. From there, negotiations started with the suspects.
OSHP’s Special Response Team (SRT) was also called to the scene around this time.
Approximately 4 hours later, around 7:30 a.m., members of the SRT approached the semi to try and get the victim out, according to OSHP Lieutenant Nathan Dennis. At that point, Dennis said the suspect fired shots at the SRT members. Troopers returned fire, hitting both suspects.
The hostage was removed from the semi and had minor injuries.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations confirmed to News Center 7 Wednesday morning that they were requested to investigate the shooting.
It’s not currently known if any troopers are on administrative leave pending the investigation of the shooting.
Dayton International Airport Access Road remained closed between Interstate 70 and US 40 but has since been reopened.
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