The suspect — whose identity was not released late Friday afternoon — was in custody after police sought help from the public for “what transpired there in that parking lot last night between 10:30 and 11:30,” Miami Twp. Police Capt. John Magill said.
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There was no surveillance video available of Thursday night’s shooting, according to the township.
Graham’s death follows the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Andrew Day, who was gunned down while working as the desk clerk at the Hampton Inn off Col. Glenn Highway in Fairborn in March. Three defendants have been charged in that case.
Magill acknowledged the criminal element the high-traffic area near the Dayton Mall can attract, but it is “nothing unique.”
“I’ve looked at crime patterns around any area that has a similar business model or demographic … where you have a concentrated area with that number of businesses, that number of guests and you have a population of people,” he said.
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“It turns out there’s nothing unique about the area or those hotels,” Magill added. “I think any place where you have a large volume of business, you’re going to have (crimes) associated with that…..and I think that’s what you’re seeing here.”
Miamisburg police had expressed similar views.
Lodging businesses around the Ohio 725/I-75 interchange have been the sites of a number high-profile crimes in recent years. In April, a Dayton man wanted by Indiana police was wounded after authorities said he pointed a loaded gun at Miamisburg police seeking to apprehend him outside the Red Roof Inn on Byers Road.
In July 2017, 32-year-old Lynsie Davis of Fairborn was killed by gunfire at Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham. Mathew P. Glass, 35, of Beavercreek, is facing several charges in that case, including reckless homicide and negligent homicide, Montgomery County court records show.
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That homicide was the second shooting at that Prestige Place hotel last year, following a January incident after a suspect rammed a pickup truck into R.A.N.G.E. Task Force officers, who returned fire and grazed another man. Officers were cleared of criminal charges in that case.
Miami Twp. officials said they believe Graham went to meet someone in the parking lot when the shooting occurred. That “would tell us that that’s not random,” Magill said.
DoubleTree officials “offer our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones at this difficult time,” according to a statement from Rick Dinan, director of operations for its parent company, Regal Hospitality Inc.
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Magill said police were not sure as to the motive of the shooter. By midday Friday, police had received descriptions of two vehicles leaving the area about the time of the shooting, but believe only one was involved in the crime.
“We’ve had some witnesses that have come forward,” he said. “We’re running down the leads of they have provided. We’re collating that information. We have some people that we’re looking to contact.”
At a news conference earlier Friday, Magill said he couldn’t say if police suspect more than one person was involved.
It’s not clear how many times Graham was shot, authorities said.
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