‘Horrific thing to see;’ Witness describes crash, shooting that injured officer, suspect

DAYTON — Some people traveling on U.S. 35, west of Dayton, witnessed a police chase come to an end with a multi-vehicle crash and shooting early Monday afternoon.

>>PHOTOS: Police cruiser involved in crash; Large investigation closes U.S. 35 in Montgomery Co.

The series of events hospitalized a Trotwood police officer and the suspect.

After an hours-long investigation, the stretch of U.S. 35 reopened around 8 p.m.

News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis talked to Suzanne, a woman who witnessed the crash and shooting. She didn’t want to show her face or use her last name.

Suzanne was in her vehicle on U.S. 35 and Liscum Drive when the chase came to an end in front of her. She was worried that she would get caught in the middle of it all.

“I was shaking for about two hours, honestly,” she said. “It was a horrific thing to see.”

She was on her way to the Dayton VA Medical Center, taking U.S. 35, when she saw officers put down stop sticks and a white pickup truck speeding down the road.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trotwood officer, suspect hospitalized after crash, shooting on US 35

“He was actually in the median and then he went into the air and just about cleared the entire intersection and landed on top of a Trotwood cruiser and he literally pushed it three lanes of traffic to the edge and at some point in that he got the front of a sheriff’s car,” she said.

Right after the crash, she heard gunshots.

“I laid down into the floorboards of my car (out of) fear that I will get caught in some type of crossfire and didn’t really come back up until the shooting had stopped. It was extremely scary,” Suzanne said.

Trotwood police told News Center 7 they got a call just before 11 a.m. to the Voyager Village mobile home park for a domestic situation.

The suspect, police said, hit a woman he knew with his pick-up truck.

While crews checked on her, police said the suspect drove past them and pointed a “long weapon” at them.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘Strange to hear;’ Woman who saw US 35 crash, shooting shocked to learn it started near her work

Police tried to stop him, but he kept driving.

During the chase, police said the suspect fired shots at them and eventually crashed head-on into a Trotwood police cruiser and a Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputy cruiser.

Police said this is when they opened fire.

“This is an ongoing investigation. There’s a lot of moving parts here,” Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson said.

Suzanne described the scene as chaotic and was grateful she wasn’t hurt.

“I was afraid I was gonna get shot from a stray bullet,” she said. “To be that close was just, I don’t know. I felt like I had an angel on my shoulder that kept me from getting hurt.”

Suzanne said she talked to the police about what she saw today.

Dayton police ask anyone who saw anything or has video of the incident to send it their way at DPDMediaRequests@daytonohio.gov.

You can also submit any information to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation by calling 1-855-BCI-OHIO or 1-800- 224-6446 or visiting their website.

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