Officer-involved shooting: Butler Twp. chief says woman killed was known to police

A woman died after she was shot by police and crashed a stolen truck into a sign at the Days Inn on Miller Lane Sunday, July 12, 2020, in Butler Twp. STAFF PHOTO / MARSHALL GORBY

A woman died after she was shot by police and crashed a stolen truck into a sign at the Days Inn on Miller Lane Sunday, July 12, 2020, in Butler Twp. STAFF PHOTO / MARSHALL GORBY

The woman shot and killed Sunday evening in an officer-involved shooting was known to police, Chief John Porter said.

The 36-year-old woman’s identity has not been released pending family notification, he said.

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Police initially were called around 4:55 p.m. to the Days Inn motel, 7470 Miller Lane, after a clerk said a guest reported he was “robbed by a lady,” according to a 911 call recording the chief played during a Monday afternoon press conference.

Two officers arrived, when the woman ran from them, then assaulted and robbed another person of a pickup truck, he said.

One officer fired at the woman, who was white, after he was “knocked down and drug back” by the stolen pickup when the woman put the gear in reverse as they were trying to take her into custody,” Porter said.

The officer fired his weapon “in defense of his life” The chief said he believes two shots were fired by the officer.

The woman then crashed the stolen truck into a sign near the motel entrance, and the two officers involved in the shooting pulled the woman out of the truck and performed CPR. She was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where she died.

The officers both were treated and released from local hospitals. The officers, whose names were not released, are veteran officers, he said. They were placed on administrative leave pending an administrative review, which Porter said is department procedure.

Butler Twp. police had prior contacts with the woman, who also had a warrant for her arrest at the time of the shooting; however, Porter declined to detail the charges against her.

The last officer-involved shooting in the township was in 2015, also in the Miller Lane area, the chief said.

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting, at the township department’s request, Porter said.

Police body cameras will be released later, which the chief said will also help demonstrate that the officer acted appropriately.

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“Evidence is still being gathered and witnesses are being interviewed,” said a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. “We will not be able to comment further on the shooting due to the ongoing investigation.”

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