Coroner IDs man killed in Dayton police-involved shooting; officers are on leave

A Dayton police officer-involved shooting ended in the death of the man wounded during an apparent struggle.

Here’s the latest in the investigation:

  • A 29-year-old man and the Dayton officer struggled over the officer's Taser
  • The man, Michael Tuck, was pronounced dead at Miami Valley Hospital
  • The shooting followed a traffic stop and 2-block foot chase
  • Officer Cody Hartings fired the fatal shots
  • Police are looking for 2 people in a car Tuck was in before foot chase

>> PHOTOS: 1 person dead in officer-involved shooting

UPDATE @ 3:45 p.m. (Aug. 23):

Michael Tuck, 29, of Dayton, was identified as the man shot by a Dayton police officer, according to Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger.

Police are still looking for the two occupants who were in a car with Tuck, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said during a Friday afternoon news conference.

>> INTERACTIVE: When police fire - officer-involved shootings

A loaded handgun and quantity of marijuana were in a book bag recovered from the scene, Biehl said, noting Tuck had a history involving weapons and drugs.

The officer who fired shots is Cody Hartings, who has been with the police department since April 2016.  He and his partner, who did not discharge his service weapon, are on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol. The partner’s name was not released.

>> State trooper shoots suspect in Middletown

“We regret that this encounter resulted in a loss of life,” Biehl said. “This investigation will continue until all evidence is available and examined.”

The investigation will be submitted to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office for legal review. A separate internal investigation also will be conducted.

During the news conference, Biehl showed cruiser camera footage of the Thursday night traffic stop that preceded the officer-involved shooting.

The traffic stop occurred after the officers, on their way to another call, saw the car being driven erratically and observed possible illegal window tinting, Biehl said.

One of the officers in the traffic stop chased Tuck, who ran from the car. The other officer approached the stopped vehicle, but after hearing his partner in distress, he sped toward his partner. The suspect vehicle left the area.

Multiple officers were seen in the cruiser camera footage arriving on scene where the officer fired at least twice.

EARLIER REPORT (Aug. 22)

A 29-year-old man died Thursday night after a Dayton police officer-involved shooting in the area of Delphos Avenue and West Third Street.

The man, shot at least once, was wounded during an apparent struggle over the officer’s Taser in the alleyway between Delphos and Shoop avenues, Chief Richard Biehl said.

A traffic stop in an alley off Brooklyn Avenue led to a two-block foot chase and ended when the officer discharged his firearm during the struggle, Biehl said. The officer and his partner, both in uniform, provided first-aid before the Dayton medic unit arrived to take the man to Miami Valley Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The man was one of at least two occupants in the car that police stopped after they saw it being driven erratically as they were on their way to a welfare check call at Kammer Avenue and Anna Street about 8:45 p.m.

They trailed it several block before getting it to stop in the alley off Brooklyn Avenue before the male fled on foot.

The officer not involved in the foot chase stayed with the car, but ran to meet up with his partner when he heard the struggle. The car then fled.

Police found a firearm with an extended magazine as well as an unknown amount of marijuana, Beihl said.

The shots-fire incident prompted the “signal 99” officer in need of assistance call by Montgomery County Regional Dispatch about 9 p.m.

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