An Ohio police officer responding to a 911 call was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Home Depot overnight.
Toledo Police Chief George Kral identified the shooting victim as 26-year-old Officer Anthony Dia during a press conference Saturday morning. He told reporters the young cop was dispatched to check on the well-being of a drunk man spotted outside the hardware chain in Toledo late Friday night, WTVG reported.
When Dia arrived on the scene just after midnight Saturday, the suspect had a beer in and hand and was wandering about the parking lot.
“Witnesses tell us the suspect was walking away from the officer, and for some reason, turned and fired a round from a handgun, striking officer Dia in the chest,” Kral said.
“Officer Dia’s fellow officers scooped him up and took him to Toledo Hospital, where he, sadly, succumbed to his injuries.”
Authorities deployed both a drone and canine in a bid to find the suspect. At around 3:15 a.m., officers reported hearing a single gunshot coming from a wooded area, where they discovered the suspect, a 57-year-old man, dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
“Until my dying day, I will never forget the sight of officer Dia wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, his body wrapped on an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo officers, saluting and weeping,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said in a statement to WTOL.
“On behalf of the city of Toledo, I offer heartfelt condolences to our family, which today has a broken heart and will never forget the contributions and sacrifices of Anthony Dia.”
Dia is survived by his wife and 2-year-old child.
