“A guy just out trying to earn a living … just a horrible situation,” Lt. Jason Hall of the Dayton Police Department said of the shooting victim during a Wednesday afternoon media briefing outside the Public Safety Building.
After a standoff at an Anna Street house, four juveniles, all between 15 and 16, were taken into custody. They face charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated murder, Hall said.
All four teens were known to Dayton police, Hall said.
“We believe we have all the individuals responsible for the crimes in custody,” he said.
The incident initially was reported around 2 a.m. as a crash in the 1000 block of Ferguson Avenue by the vehicle’s OnStar, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center records.
Another rideshare operator contacted police after she was robbed at gunpoint by teenagers, Hall said.
Officers were called to the 800 block of St. Agnes Avenue to respond to that driver who was robbed of her cellphone and car while other officers worked to find her car.
Officers found a vehicle around 3 a.m. in the 300 block of Anna Street that was taken during the aggravated robbery, said Dayton police Maj. Christopher Malson.
As officers communicated, they determined the two events were connected, and that the possible suspects were inside a house in the same block.
“As officers approached initially, three individuals came out and were taken into custody,” Malson said. “Three others stayed inside the house, which initiated a SWAT callout.”
When SWAT and a hostage negotiation team responded, crews used a “noisemaker” to get the other three people to come outside, Malson said. They were taken into custody without incident.
The three people who initiated the SWAT response were juveniles, he said.
Investigators recovered a weapon that Hall said was consistent with what was used in the deadly shooting.
Officers are investigating whether reports of similar activity in recent days could be related, Hall said.
Prosecutors and the court system would need to determine whether the four juveniles should be bound over to face the charges in adult court, he said.
Lyft issued a statement Wednesday evening regarding the death of one of its drivers:
“Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the actions that led to the events of this morning are reprehensible. Our hearts are with the driver’s loved ones during this incredibly difficult time, as well as with an additional driver who was impacted by this behavior. We’ve reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation, and we’ll continue our efforts to combat this senseless violence and help keep drivers safe.”
