Man shot by Huber Heights police during road rage investigation indicted

He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. His bond previously was set at $10 million.

Officer Shawn Waler shot Haught May 5 after a brief chase while responding to a report of shots fired during a road rage incident in the area of the Hollywood Casino.

Waler, a 19-year veteran, is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, which is department policy, Chief Mark Lightner said.

Waler also shot a man in April 2023 while responding to a report of gunfire in Butler Twp. A grand jury declined to indict him.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations is investing the officer-involved shooting.

At 1:33 a.m. May 5, a 911 caller said a man, later identified as Haught, shot out his driver’s side window, according to Huber Heights Communication Center records.

Haught chased the other vehicle north on Interstate 75, east on Interstate 70 to Huber Heights.

The man driving the other vehicle told dispatchers he was headed to the Shell gas station at 8007 state Route 235 to try to get away from Haught, who reportedly was following him. At Shell, Haught reportedly rammed the other car.

Haught was attempting to leave as police arrived at the gas station. Officers tried to stop the vehicle, but it went south on state Route 235 at high speed, according to police.

The pursuit continued on New Carlisle Pike, where officers performed a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver to stop the vehicle. However, the vehicle continued to flee before coming to a stop in a grassy area near a house in the 9400 block of Taylorsville Road.

Dash camera footage showed Haught get out of the vehicle and turn toward police with a weapon in his hands.

“You can clearly see the suspect face the officers and raise a black AR 15-style rifle, pointing it directly at the officers,” Lightner said previously. “The officer closest to the suspect opened fire and stuck the suspect, who turned and tried to flee with his rifle still in hand.”

Haught dropped the weapon as he went around the house before collapsing on a porch. Officers aided Haught until medics arrived and transported him to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Police recovered the weapon, which was identified as a DPMS full-auto SBR air rifle.

“This defendant is another example of why we need harsher penalties for those who force the police to chase them. In addition to endangering the lives of other drivers, it is dangerous for the officers involved,” Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. stated. “Thankfully, the only person who was injured was the defendant.”

Staff writers Samantha Wildow and Daniel Susco contributed to this report.