TROTWOOD — For hours, an apartment building on Bell Creek Lane was surrounded by law enforcement who were trying to catch a fugitive.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
News Center 7′s Malik Patterson spoke with residents of the apartment about their lockdown.
>> PHOTOS: Task force officer shot at Trotwood apartment complex; Man accused of firing shots dead
TRENDING STORIES:
- Delphi murders: Richard Allen gets over 100 years in prison for 2017 killings
- Social Security’s full retirement age increases in 2025
- DNA evidence leads to arrest for 1992 death of 19-year-old Ohio woman
As previously reported by News Center 7, officers went to the apartment to execute a warrant. While there, an officer was shot in the leg. The standoff continued until officers used distraction devices and entered the building where they found the suspect dead of self-inflicted injuries.
Residents in the building say they were told by US Marshals they had two choices: to stay inside until it was over or leave immediately.
Ryan White, who lives at and does maintenance for Belle Meadows, knows all the tenants and says not everyone can easily leave their apartments.
“You knew something serious was going on, and then immediately it’s just like, how many people can I help realistically without putting myself in danger,” White said. “And I made sure that, if they needed to get taken care of, they would get help.”
White believes everyone should be held accountable for their actions, but he was sad the standoff ended in the suspect’s death.
“But when you just think about the life lost, it’s just a precious life,” White said. “Life is far more valuable than we give it credit for.”
The US Marshals didn’t want it to end in death either.
“Every day we go out with the goal of removing these violent fugitives from the street, but this can happen,” Marshal Michael Black said.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
