Arrests made in Reichard Buick break-in

UPDATE @ 1:30 p.m. July 17: Lt. Wendy Stiver said a 15- and a 21-year-old male were arrested.

Stiver identified the man as Sean Thomas, who was booked into Montgomery County Jail on Thursday. He’s facing a list of charges, including breaking and entering, attempted grand theft auto, possession of criminal tools, aggravated menacing, and criminal damage. Stiver said it’s believed Thomas was the one with the BB gun. He is scheduled for court on Monday afternoon.

The teen is being held in the Juvenile Justice Center, and Stiver said the prosecutor intends to file charges.

UPDATE @ 6:42 p.m.:

A Dayton police officer responding to a break-in at a car dealership early Wednesday morning fired one shot after a suspect pointed what was later determined to be a pump-action BB gun at him, Dayton police Chief Richard Biehl said.

No one was injured, and the two male suspects were still at large late Wednesday afternoon, Dayton police Chief Richard Biehl said at a press conference.

“It’s fortunate that it ended without anyone being injured. That is truly fortunate because it could have been otherwise,” Biehl said. “Police officers have a right to defend their lives as well as a responsibility to defend the lives of others. So, this is a situation where there’s clearly perceived lethal intent and so the response with deadly force is quite reasonable.”

The suspects were attempting to rob Reichard Buick GMC, located at 161 Salem Ave. No surveillance footage was immediately available, and the only description of the two young — likely teen-age — suspects is that one is tall and wore a red jacket while the other is short and wore a gray shirt, police said.

One suspect fled northeast and the other ran northwest, and a canine search was unsuccessful, according to Dayton police, but Biehl added that “evidence at the scene may lead to the identity of the suspects.”

The officer who fired his weapon is identified as Steve McCall, a 14-year veteran assigned to the midnight shift in the Central Patrol Operations Division. He was placed on administrative leave while the the department’s professional standards bureau reviews the shooting. Biehl said McCall had not been interviewed about the incident as of late Wednesday afternoon.

On a recording of police radio traffic, McCall said a suspect pointed a gun at him: “He just dropped the gun. He pointed it at me. I fired a round but I missed him.”

Police were dispatched to the dealership at 2:57 a.m. Wednesday after a citizen called 911 to say she heard glass breaking at the nearby business.

Officers responded to the active breaking-and-entering, and saw two suspects inside the area where automobiles are worked on, according to Dayton police Maj. David Wolford. After a shot was fired that hit the building near an overhead door, an officer called a Signal 99, which means officer needs assistance.

Last August, Fairfield’s John Crawford III was shot and killed by Beavercreek police officer Sean Williams in Walmart after Crawford picked up a pellet/BB rifle from a store shelf and didn’t immediately respond to calls to drop the object.

In November 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by police outside a Cleveland recreation center even though a 911 caller said the gun Rice was holding was “probably fake” and that Rice was probably a juvenile.

“This is not uncommon. You’re seeing this crop up again and again in events around the country,” Biehl said. “As you’re well aware, in a fraction of a second and at night-time in a darkened location, in a fraction of a second where a weapon is displayed, there is very little way for an officer to determine what is a firearm versus what is a BB/pellet and/or toy gun.

“This once again underscores how having one of these items in someone’s possession and pointing at a police officer can result in a potentially lethal outcome.”

UPDATE @ 5 p.m.:

Police said one of two burglary suspects was armed with a pump action BB gun when an officer fired at the man, but did not hit either suspect.

UPDATE @ 7:30 a.m.:

Dayton police say an officer fired a shot at a burglary suspect after a gun was seen in the man’s hand.

Officers were first dispatched around 3 a.m. today to the Reichard Buick dealership at 161 Salem Ave. in Dayton after a person reported seeing two men break in.

Lt. Gregg Gaby of the Dayton Police Department says the responding officers found two men inside the store and attempted to stop them as they fled on foot. One officer saw what appeared to be a gun in the hand of one of the men, and fired a single shot at the man. Gaby says the shot did not hit either man.

Police say the two suspects did not fire any shots while fleeing the scene on foot and were able to evade police.

A K9 track of the men was also unsuccessful.

Gaby says officers collected several pieces of evidence at the scene and did recover a weapon dropped by the men as they ran away.

“Preliminary investigation, the officer acted the way they were trained,” Gaby said.

Officers from several nearby jurisdictions also responded to the call after a ‘99’ was issued for officer assistance.

Police say the incident will be further investigated by internal affairs. It was not immediately known if the officer will be put on administrative leave or if there was any surveillance video of the incident.

FIRST REPORT

Officers from several Montgomery County jurisdictions have responded to an officer assistance call at 161 Salem Avenue in Dayton.

Police gave a ‘signal 99’ after responding to a reported breaking and entering at the Reichard Buick dealership around 3:10 a.m.

Reports indicate shots were fired, but it was unclear if they were fired by officers or burglars.

Initial reports also indicate two men fled the scene on foot and police are setting up a perimeter in the area.

We have a crew heading to the scene and will update this page when new information is available.