Dec. 23 – A U.S. Marshals Service officer was shot in the leg Friday afternoon in Trotwood before a wanted man barricaded himself in an apartment, where he apparently committed suicide.
Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger identified the man Monday as 23-year-old Leo Lucas.
Lucas was found dead in an apartment building on Springmeadow Lane in the 3000 block of Shiloh Springs Road after a SWAT standoff that lasted several hours.
His death was an apparent suicide; However, the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office will make a final determination, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said. Lucas’ cause and manner of death had not yet been determined as of Monday morning.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were among several law enforcement jurisdictions on the scene who could be heard repeatedly using a bullhorn ordering the wanted man to come out and telling him there was a warrant for his arrest. Trotwood, Englewood and Dayton police departments also responded.
Law enforcement officers flew drones over the area during the standoff and also flew one into the apartment.
According to the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center, the incident started around 1:30 p.m.
Residents of the apartments were evacuated from the building. Trotwood Preparatory and Fitness Academy — a charter school across the street from the apartment complex — was on lockdown and a portion of Shiloh Springs Road was closed at the Olive Road intersection during the standoff.
At one point, smoke was seen coming from an apartment in the building. Crews pointed a hose at a window.
Crews began leaving shortly before 4 p.m., indicating the standoff had ended.
The task force member shot in the leg will recover, the sheriff’s office spokeswoman said. However, she had no further information about the extent of the injuries or whether he was still hospitalized because he was not an employee of the sheriff’s office.
We’ve reached out to the U.S. Marshal’s Service for further details, including why the man was wanted, when the man shot at officers and whether police returned fire.
