Man, Dayton officer injured after gunfire exchanged during standoff in Washington Twp.

Kristen Spicker, Dayton Daily News, Ohio

Wed, December 24, 2025 at 2:05 AM UTC

3 min read

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Dec. 23—A 34-year-old man and a Dayton police officer were taken to the hospital after they were injured during an exchange of gunfire in a standoff in Washington Twp. on Tuesday.

Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said it appeared the man is in life-threatening condition and the officer is in non-life-threatening condition. The officer was alert and stable when he was transported to the hospital.

He also said it appeared the Dayton officer was struck by shrapnel, but it wasn't clear what exactly hit the officer.

The man reportedly fired shots multiple times during the standoff on Brookway Road — first while in the garage and later from a front room in the home.

When the man fired from the front of the house, a Dayton officer and a sniper with the sheriff's office returned fire, Streck said.

The man indicated he shot himself and went to the door once the gunfire ended. It appeared the man shot himself once and was also hit once by law enforcement, Streck said.

Crews took him into custody and began medical care before he was taken to the hospital.

Streck said Ohio BCI has been called to handle the entire investigation.

The incident started at 9:26 a.m. after deputies were called to a welfare check at the home. The man was having a mental health issue and made several concerning statements.

When his mother tried to call 911, he took her cellphone, Streck said.

The man's parents left the house and went to a neighbor's to call 911.

Initially a negotiator and on-duty SWAT crews were called. As they set up the scene investigators learned there were weapons in the home, mostly scoped rifles used for hunting, Streck said.

Crews received a warrant and a full SWAT call was issued.

At one point the man fired several rounds while in a garage. It wasn't clear what he was firing at, Streck said.

Negotiators continued to work with the man for hours, but his mental health worsened.

He began firing rounds again, this time from a window in the front of the house, prompting crews to return fire.

Streck said he wasn't familiar with man and didn't think he had a history with the sheriff's office.

The man is expected to face having weapons while under disability, inducing panic and interfering with utilities charges.

Mental health calls have continued to increase in recent years and are unfortunately becoming too common, the sheriff said.

"I hate it for the family and friends, and I also hate it for the Dayton police officer and the sheriff's office deputy that have to deal with this incident when we're supposed to be going into a celebration time of the week," Streck said.

The sheriff's office had a crisis intervention team mental health professional at the scene. Streck said the man spoke to the mental health professional, as well as the sheriff's office's negotiator.

Streck also acknowledged the difficult situation family and friends are in when they're trying to get their loved ones help during a mental health crisis.

He said the family did the right thing, especially when considering the weapons the man could access.

"This family called us here to try to help their 34-year-old child and we did everything we could. I was listening to the negotiator who was so kind and gentle with him," Streck said. "...We are glad that they called. We believe he was in a state where escalation was going to occur."

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