Man killed, officer shot in downtown Troy shootout

A man was killed and a Troy police officer wounded in a gun battle involving police, a sheriff's deputy and a shooting suspect on Monroe Street Sunday morning.

Franklin Jones III, 30, was killed in a shootout with Troy police on West Franklin Street.

Troy Sgt. Jeff Kunkleman was shot in the leg during the exchange of gunfire. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital and is recovering from the injury at home.

Jones allegedly shot Sammy Butler, 24, who was found in an alley between West Franklin and Monroe streets suffering from two gunshot wounds to his buttocks. The initial shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute according to police.

As part of normal procedures, the officers involved in the shooting were put on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the incident.

Troy Police Capt. Chris Anderson said four officers who were involved are on leave: Kunkleman, Troy patrolmen Jared Cole and Jesse Canan and Miami County Sheriff's deputy Will Roberts.

Police and the Miami County Sheriff's Office initially responded to the area of West Franklin and Monroe streets after receiving multiple 911 calls indicating a shooting had occurred in the area, said Troy Police Capt. Chris Anderson Sunday morning.

One of the calls came from a Franklin Street resident who called 911 after seeing someone suspicious standing on his property telling him to be quiet.

The resident told the 911 dispatcher exactly where the man was and that information was relayed immediately to the officers on scene.

An officer spotted the alleged shooter and that's when gunfire was exchanged between police and Jones.

Prior to the shootout, police located the initial shooting victim, Butler, and about a half-block away found the shooting suspect in an alley.

Tonya Conn-Baker was in the area and watched the shooting unfold around 2 a.m. She estimated hearing at least 30 rounds fired.

"We kind of ducked and hit the ground, because we didn't know which way they were shooting at," Conn-Baker said. "There was all these cops with big guns and a bunch of firings from the guns started going off."

Recorded police traffic obtained by News Center 7's Steve Baker is evidence of what the officers were experiencing.

As the officers searched for the suspect approximately 5 minutes after arriving on scene, you can hear one officer relaying to the dispatch center, "Shots fired!"

Seconds later the officer yells, "We got an officer down! We need a medic!" and seconds later, "suspect down."

Medics removed Kunkleman by ambulance to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton where he was treated and released, Anderson said.

Police said the initial shooting call was the result of a domestic situation. The victim, Butler, was removed to Upper Valley Medical Center near Troy with two gunshot wounds to his buttocks. His condition was not available.

Anderson said it is not clear if all four officers involved in the suspect confrontation fired their weapons, but results of an investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation will provide those details at a later date.

As a routine procedure, the three Troy police officers and Miami County Deputy are on paid administrative leave.

Conn-Baker said she was shocked as she watched the events happen.

"You hear of this stuff in Dayton all the time," she said. "It's just horrifying that its this close to home."

Sunday's shooting marks the second officer-involved shooting the Troy Police Department has investigated this year.

On Aug. 20 Troy Police shot and killed Al Pickett, 52, after he met officers with a gun at an apartment complex on Staunton Commons Drive.

In the August shooting, officers Matt Mosier and Zach Mumford, fired their weapons and were placed on paid administrative leave.