Police forced entry as more than 15 officers responded following a call from the Montgomery County Jail, where officials said a man turned himself and told authorities his wife “may be injured,” police records state.
A man showed up at the county jail lobby around 4:30 p.m. who said he had a domestic violence incident with his wife and that she was injured at the house, said Kettering police Chief Chip Protsman.
“The suspect showed up to the jail and then the jail called us,” he said.
Officers found a 28-year-old woman dead with multiple gunshot wounds, Protsman said. The victim was on the floor in the bathroom with no pulse, police records show.
She “was seated on the floor with her upper body and head slumped forward” and an officer saw “an apparent gunshot wound on the left side of her head.” There were multiple shell casings on the bathroom floor and a casing and round in the bathtub, according to the police report.
The suspect, a 27-year-old man, is in custody. His identity is not being released until formal charges are filed. The prosecutor’s office is discussing criminal charges with police today, Protsman said.
Investigators recovered a handgun believed to be used in the shooting.
It’s not clear what led to the shooting. The suspect did not say whether they had been arguing prior to the shooting, Protsman said.
There were children living in the home, but they were not there when police arrived, the chief said. The children have been placed with relatives.
Police did not receive any reports of gunfire in the area or other calls related to the homicide other than the one originating at the jail.
A neighbor told the Dayton Daily News he heard six bangs while was inside his home Tuesday.
“I just thought it was someone roofing a house or something,” he said.
A few minutes later, the neighbor was outside doing yard work when he saw the suspect leave the house with his kids.
“He seemed to be in a rush, but I asked him if I could weed eat a little bit in the front and he said ‘OK’ and he took off in the car and that’s all I saw,” the neighbor said.
He described his neighbors as a nice couple and said they didn’t cause any problems.
Protsman said homicides are rare in Kettering, but the city does have domestic violence cases sometimes.
“Unfortunately this appears to be a domestic violence incident, as we well know is a problem around this country,” he said.
The chief encouraged anyone who is concerned about the welfare of a loved one to call police.
“If there’s any times somebody is concerned about a friend or a relative and would like us to go out and check their welfare we’d be more than happy to do that,” he said. “Please don’t hesitate to call.”
Those who live in the 2500 block of California Avenue who have security cameras and think they captured something related to the homicide are urged to call Kettering police.
