Bodycam: Gunman Shoots Ohio Police Officer in Disturbing Halloween Traffic Stop Shootout

By Craig Kelly

Source The Lima News, Ohio

LIMA, OH — The Lima Police Department has released additional information about the officer-involved shooting incident Oct. 31 that left an officer injured and the suspect transported to Columbus for medical treatment. This information includes the identities of the officers involved and both dashboard and body camera footage of the incident.

The shooting took place during a traffic stop at 10:40 p.m. Friday at St. John’s Avenue and Second Street. The footage of that traffic stop was released during a press conference Monday evening at the Lima Municipal Building, with the faces of two other occupants of the vehicle being blurred out and portions of audio muted. Body camera footage was taken from the camera of Patrolman Bryce Metz, the officer injured during the shooting.

What the footage showed

As seen on the dashboard video, three officers approached the vehicle, with Metz approaching from the passenger side, a standard procedure for situations with multiple vehicle occupants, according to Lima Police Chief Curtis Hile.

“There were three occupants in the car, so more officers arrived for standard safety with more occupants in the car,” he said. “We typically have more officers try to respond.”

According to Metz’s body camera video, Emerson Jeffrey, 35, who was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle, called to get Metz’s attention.

“I’m about to do something just cause that’s who I am, bro,” he said before motioning to the two people in the front seats and telling Metz to have them “get out of here.”

After Metz asked Jeffrey why and did not receive an answer, he told another officer to get Jeffrey out of the vehicle, pointing at him and saying, “Get him out.” Immediately afterward, shots began coming out from the vehicle hitting Metz and causing him to fall to the ground.

“Shots fired, shots fired! I’m hit! I’m hit!” Metz said.

Shots could be heard in both videos as other cruisers quickly arrived at the scene. Commands were issued for Jeffrey to show his hands and for the occupants to get out of the car and get down on the ground.

“He’s got the gun in his hand,” an officer could be heard saying on the dashboard camera video. “He’s in the back seat.”

“I’m in the bushes,” Metz said on his radio, alerting the other officers to his location in some brush on the side of the road.

Commands were issued for Jeffrey to put his hands up. The video footage then recorded additional shots being fired, prompting several gunshots from police at the vehicle.

Once officers determined the threat from Jeffrey was neutralized, officers began life-saving procedures on both Jeffrey and Metz, according to releases from the police department.

Where things stand now

Speaking at Monday’s press conference, Hile said Metz was released earlier in the day from Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center. Jeffrey remains in hospital under law enforcement supervision at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. No update on his current condition was released at the press conference.

“(Metz has) got a long road to recovery ahead of him,” he said.

“We are extremely grateful that Officer Bryce Metz is stable and continuing on his road to recovery, (as well as for) his courage and the response of other officers on the scene who protected lives tht night,” Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith said. “This event has been traumatic, not only for our officers but also for witnesses, for neighbors and for the community.”

Smith also pointed to mental and emotional support programs in the area as being available for those in need, including the 9-8-8 crisis hotline.

Hile reiterated that the investigation into the incident has been handed over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminial Investigtion and that the seven officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

“This is a required protocol after the use of deadly force that does not imply any misconduct of the officers,” he said. “It’s just the policy that we follow to make sure the officers have time to process the incident, and we can get wellness programs available for them. So if they are struggling with the incident, they’ll have that provided for them.”

The officers involved in the incident along with Metz were Patrol Officers Mikel Martinez, Corey Long, Rylee Leonard, Dylan Herzog, Logan Patton and Chance Flynn.

Hile expressed pride in how his officers conducted themselves during the incident, especially Metz, whom Hile praised for remaining calm even after taking gunfire.

“I’m incredibly proud of how (Metz) responded, and I think we’re incredibly lucky that we still have him with us,” he said.

Two of the officers have been mentioned in prior news coverage. Prior to the Oct. 31, shooting, Metz had responded to the West Market Street McDonald’s July 10 to assist in restraining a 14-year-old male juvenile who was resisting being detained by Detective Steve Stechschulte after complaints that the juvenile harassed restaurant employees. Both Metz and Stechschulte were cleared of any wrongdoing after an investigation.

In December 2022, Patton was awarded the Life Saving Service Bar after performing CPR on an unresponsive man and bringing him back from having no pulse to breathing on his own and regaining consciousness. He was also commended in 2020 as one of several officers who restrained an armed man who had fired a shot in a hotel lobby on Lima’s east side.

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