Off-duty Miami Twp. officer who shot teen robbery suspect ID’d, praised

A 17-year-old Dayton defendant faces 10 charges after he was shot seeking to flee from a robbery scene near the Ohio 725/I-75 interchange. FILE PHOTO

A 17-year-old Dayton defendant faces 10 charges after he was shot seeking to flee from a robbery scene near the Ohio 725/I-75 interchange. FILE PHOTO
Crime & Law
By
Feb 20, 2018
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A seven-year veteran of the Miami Twp. Police Department has been identified as the off-duty officer who shot a teenager reportedly toting a gun and seeking to escape near I-75 in Miamisburg.

James Swearingen is named in court records as the law enforcement officer that the 17-year-old is charged as “did knowingly cause or attempt to cause physical harm to … by means of a deadly weapon” Feb. 5 while seeking to flee a robbery scene near Ohio 725, court records filed Tuesday show.

RELATED: More charges filed against teen defendant in officer-involved shooting

Since the shooting — which authorities said stopped a volatile scene in heavy traffic near the Interstate 75 interchange — Miamisburg and Miami Twp. police have declined to identify the off-duty officer involved.

While law enforcement officials have said little about the off-duty officer since the shooting, Miami Twp. Trustee Vice President Doug Barry recently lauded his actions.

Without identifying Swearingen by name, Barry said last week, “I’d like to commend our officer involved in the shooting (Feb. 5) and also commend our police department on their training.”

RELATED: Judge: Gun-toting defendant endangered hundreds of lives

Barry noted “that our department is a first-class police department that does things the correct way. It all begins at the top (with) the leadership that we have involved there. I’m very proud of our police department.”

Swearingen was hired by Miami Twp. in February of 2011, records show.

-MORE COVERAGE ON THE ISSUE:

RELATED: Suspect’s claim led DEA agent to suspect shooting was officer vs. officer

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RELATED: Miami Twp. officer involved shooting: What we know so far

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Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick is a Riverside native and has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 20 years.