Dayton man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in September shooting

Defendant originally charged with murder.
ajc.com

A man originally charged with murder faces up to 16½ years in prison for a September shooting death of another man during an argument in Dayton.

Chaz Tyrell Owens Jr., 20, of Dayton pleaded guilty Thursday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to involuntary manslaughter via a bill of information in the Sept. 25 death of 21-year-old Donal Goddard Jr.

As part of his plea agreement, two counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault, charges for which he was indicted Oct. 11, were dismissed.

Chaz Owens Jr.

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

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Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Dayton police were called around 12:50 p.m. Sept. 25 to the 1200 block of West First Street on a report of a man shot inside a house.

Owens spent the night in the house after telling the resident that he had committed a crime and needed a place to stay, according to an affidavit filed in Dayton Municipal Court.

Witnesses told police that Goddard arrived at the house around 12:30 p.m. and got into an argument with Owens, with Goddard claiming that Owens had fired a gun at him on the street, the affidavit stated.

At one point, Goddard told Owens not to reach for a gun because “he is not about that,” the affidavit read. However, as Goddard turned, Owens grabbed his gun and reportedly shot Goddard several times before fleeing, documents stated.

Goddard was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Owens turned himself in to police two days later and was arrested on existing warrants.

He remains held on $1 million bail in the Montgomery County Jail awaiting his March 21 sentencing hearing.

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