DAYTON — A 44-year-old man was shot and killed by police during a struggle with a gun on Tuesday night.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, the shooting happened just before 9:30 p.m. in the area of N. St. Clair and E. Third Streets.
Reginald Thomas, 44, died as a result of the shooting.
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Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal said this started after an officer was on routine patrol and saw Thomas on a bike commit a traffic violation and stopped him.
The Dayton Police Department released body camera footage of the incident on Wednesday.
>>RELATED: Body camera video shows moments leading up to deadly officer-involved shooting of 44-year-old man
It shows Thomas jumping off a bicycle before an officer tackles him.
During the struggle, a handgun fell from Thomas’ clothing.
According to police, Thomas initially put the gun down when ordered, but then fought with the officer and reached for the weapon again.
A second officer fired a single shot after Thomas briefly grabbed the gun.
Investigators recovered a firearm that was loaded and operable.
The shooting occurred on a sidewalk used by residents and workers.
Joe Brooks, a downtown resident, said he heard the commotion from his home before seeing crime scene tape.
“It came as a shocker, so I would normally go and just see empty streets,” Brooks said. “I’m hoping for the best, but it’s a surprise because out of Dayton, I wouldn’t expect Dayton to be like this.”
Other frequent visitors to the downtown area expressed similar sentiments.
Moses Kamanzi often walks to the nearby library and said the area feels safe at night.
“You hear something like that, wait a minute, that’s not what I expected, yeah, so I’m somewhat surprised,” Kamanzi said.
Kamanzi also addressed the outcome of the confrontation following Afzal’s statement that officers must react to the behavior of the people they encounter.
“Life is gone, but sometimes people do what they want to do,” Kamanzi said.
Afzal maintained that despite the incident, department statistics indicate downtown Dayton remains one of the safest locations in the city.
Both the officer who initiated the stop and the one who fired the shot have three years of service with accommodations and no discipline.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a criminal investigation and present the facts to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
An internal administrative investigation will be conducted by the Dayton Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau.
We will continue to follow this story.
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