“This is a tragic example of how serious mental health problems are and what they can lead to,” Dayton interim Chief Matt Carper said Tuesday afternoon at a public briefing regarding the events.
Credit: MARSHALL GORBY/STAFF
Credit: MARSHALL GORBY/STAFF
Carper said Gardner was known to own a firearm and multiple extended magazines.
He said officers had spoken to Gardner six times, five of which happened since July, and during one of the interviews Gardner told police he wanted to die and he wanted police to shoot him.
Gardner had been seen at two local facilities for emergency mental health evaluations, as well as one in the Columbus area, Carper said.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the shooting, and the Dayton Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an internal investigation, Carper said.
The incident began Tuesday after a shooting was reported around 6:50 a.m. in the area of Hoover and Evergreen avenues.
One 911 caller reported a man was outside firing a gun, and a second caller said he was shot, according to dispatch records.
When police arrived, officers discovered Gardner had shot a 49-year-old man walking his dog, Carper said.
The 49-year-old was shot in the leg and was treated and released from the hospital.
Gardner ran back into his house after the shooting, and officers called the Special Weapons and Tactics team, or SWAT, to respond.
Neighbors were evacuated from their houses, and police could be heard calling for Gardner to come outside and saying he was under arrest.
SWAT officers had the house on the city’s northwest side surrounded. As the standoff extended past two hours, officers fired tear gas into the house, first in the basement and attic, then later into the main floor.
Around 9:30 a.m., Gardner ran out of a door and past the officers who had deployed the tear gas. He had a gun in his left hand as he ran.
Gardner ran toward another set of SWAT officers, and within seconds of leaving the house, they opened fire on him as he neared them. The shooting lasted about 20 seconds as nine SWAT officers fired 37 rounds.
Carper said Gardner “absolutely was a danger to the public as well as the officers.”
Medics transported Gardner to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Carper.
“In any SWAT callout there are multiple, multiple commands in an effort to resolve these incidents safely, and they’re almost always resolved safely,” Carper said. “In this case there’s certainly history that we’re going to be looking at to determine what would motivate a person to act in the aggressive way he did.”
Police said they believe Gardner was connected to an incident that occurred Monday.
“It sounds like it may be somewhat similar,” Carper said.
Officers received a report that someone was shot near the house, but no victim could be found nor any evidence located. Officers could not pursue charges at that point, Carper said.
“Without a victim, without additional evidence, there has to be probable cause ... and that did not exist yesterday morning,” Carper said.
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