Ohio Police Stop Turns Deadly After Struggle Over Gun Caught on Bodycam

By Jen Balduf and Kristen Spicker

Source Dayton Daily News, Ohio

Body camera footage showed the moments leading up to a deadly shooting Tuesday night involving a Dayton police officer and bicyclist, including a struggle between the pair.

An officer shot Reginald E. Thomas, 44, during the struggle on North St. Clair Street near East Third Street. Medics transported Thomas to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.

An officer on routine patrol stopped a man on a bike shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday for a traffic violation on North St. Clair Street, just south of East Second Street, Dayton police Chief Kamran Afzal said.

The officer's body camera footage captured him telling Thomas he stopped him for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and for not having a light on the front of his bike.

Thomas said he was on the sidewalk because there wasn't a bike lane on that part of the street. He also said he had a reflector on the front of the bike, but the officer said it needed to have a headlight.

At one point during the exchange the officer asked Thomas whether he had a weapon and Thomas said no. When the officer told him he would pat him down, Thomas got off the bike and started to run away with the officer pursuing him on foot. During the chase, Thomas pulled out a handgun, Afzal said.

"It was much later in the encounter where the officer actually pulled his handgun out, while he's struggling with somebody who was armed," he said. "That's what the body camera shows."

The pair engaged in a struggle on North St. Clair Street near the Dayton Metro Library.

Thomas broke free and started to run again, dropping his handgun, Afzal said. The officer holstered his gun and then struggled with Thomas again, causing both to fall to the ground.

"During the struggle on the ground (is) ... what appears to be the individual going towards the handgun that he has just dropped," the chief said.

As the struggle continued a second officer responded. A still image from the second officer's body camera showed Thomas' hand on the handgun with the first officer's hand on top as they are struggling on the ground.

The second officer ordered Thomas to drop the weapon before firing his handgun, striking Thomas, Afzal said.

"It was one shot, there was one round that was discharged," he said.

Medics were requested at 9:26 p.m. Officers provided aid until they arrived on scene at 9:31 p.m., the chief said. Medics stabilized Thomas and took him to Miami Valley Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Yellow police tape and cruisers blocked East Third Street from Jefferson Street to Patterson Boulevard and parts of St. Clair Street were shut down as part of the investigation.

Police recovered a loaded Taurus 40 caliber handgun. Afzal said it is not known whether Thomas was the gun owner.

Thomas had a criminal history of convictions for resisting arrest, assault and aggravated menacing, none of which would prevent him from having a gun.

In Ohio it is permitted to carry a concealed weapon, but people are required to disclose that to law enforcement when asked, the chief said.

The officer who stopped Thomas has three years of service and received two commendations, Afzal said. The officer who fired his weapon also has three years of service with three commendations. Neither have had disciplinary action, and the chief said both appeared to be shaken by this incident.

The Dayton Police Department Professional Standards Bureau will handle an internal investigation, and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office will handle the criminal investigation. Both officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave.

The case will be presented to a Montgomery County grand jury to determine whether the officers' actions were lawful.

Afzal also noted that the traffic stop the officer conducted on Thomas is routine.

"And most time, we don't really issue a ticket," said Afzal, who added it is more about educating the public that when it's dark a light is needed on a bike.

The chief said he is among residents who live not far from where the shooting took place and called this "an unfortunate incident."

"Downtown, just based on our statistics, is the safest area in Dayton. Actually, all of Dayton as a whole is safe, and usually the crime that we do deal with usually happens among people who know each other," he said. "It doesn't mean that's OK. But usually people know each other for some reason ... whether it's domestic, whether there's some other issues are going on."

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