Duty Death: Scott Dawley - [Nelsonville]
End of Service: 03/08/2021
By Eric Lagatta
The Columbus Dispatch
NELSONVILLE, Ohio — A Nelsonville police officer was killed in a three-car crash Tuesday afternoon while responding to a report of gunfire in the Athens County town.
Officer Scott Dawley, 43, died in the emergency room of OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, where he was transported after a crash on East Canal Street near the intersection of Hocking Street.
A seven-year veteran of the Nelsonville Police Department, Dawley is survived by his wife and seven children, according to a town spokesman.
Dawley was one of several officers responding around 2:30 p.m. to a report of shots fired on the east side of Nelsonville, a town about 60 miles southeast of Columbus. While traveling east on Canal Street toward the location, Dawley was involved in a crash with two other vehicles near the Rocky Boots outdoor gear store.
First responders started performing CPR on Dawley at the scene before he was transported to the Athens County hospital, where he later died. One other driver involved in the crash was flown by MedFlight to a Columbus hospital for emergency medical attention, while a third driver had non-life-threatening injuries.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol crash investigation team is leading the investigation of the crash.
‘A terrible year for Nelsonville’
“This is a tragic event, and I can’t even begin to express how sorry I am for Scott Dawley and his family,” Nelsonville Police Chief Scott Fitch said in a statement.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued his own statement Tuesday night.
“Law enforcement officers make immeasurable sacrifices to keep us safe, willingly putting their lives on the line to protect others,” Yost’s statement read. “My deepest condolences are with Officer Dawley’s family and the Nelsonville community.”
Dawley’s death comes about three months after Nelsonville firefighter Jeff Armes, 38, died after collapsing at the scene of a house fire on Pleasantview Avenue.
“This has been a terrible year for Nelsonville,” Nelsonville City Manager Scott Frank said in a statement. “We have become even more keenly aware of the dangers of our public safety professionals must endure, but we all have hoped they would continue to be looked over and protected.”
Frank and Fitch both requested that Dawley’s family’s privacy be respected while they mourn his loss. Additional details, including funeral arrangements, will be announced at a later date.
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