Editor’s note: This article, originally published the afternoon of May 30, has been updated to reflect that Daveonte Dixon was located and taken into custody later that evening with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office released dramatic body camera footage capturing the moment a suspect opened fire on two Mifflin Township police officers during a traffic stop, leaving both officers wounded, WBNS reported.
According to Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin, the May 28 incident began when Mifflin Township officers conducted a traffic stop and were speaking with the driver. About four minutes into the stop, the passenger, identified as Daveonte Dixon, fled on foot.
Video shows one of the officers pursuing Dixon into a grassy area. Dixon stumbles, prompting the officer to draw his weapon. Seconds later, gunshots ring out, and the officer is heard crying out in pain.
Another officer’s bodycam captures Dixon running with a TASER before quickly discarding it and radioing, “Shots fired” and “I’m hit,” while drawing his firearm. A separate angle shows the suspect in the grass, appearing to fire several rounds before fleeing again.
Both officers were struck. One officer was hit multiple times, including once in the face, and remains in critical condition following multiple surgeries, according to Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9 President Brian Steel. The other officer, who was shot in the arm, was released the next day.
After a statewide manhunt, Dixon was located late May 30 in an apartment just south of Columbus, WOIO reported. Officials entered the residence and found Dixon, 21, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
Earlier that day, the FBI had offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Dixon’s arrest. Dixon is charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault. The driver of the vehicle involved in the traffic stop is not facing charges.
