Bodycam Shows Hostage Situation that Left Ohio Officer Wounded
Body camera footage released by an Ohio police department captured the moments when an officer was shot and wounded trying to rescue a hostage being held by gunpoint.
The incident involving Ontario police happened Sunday when officers responded to a call concerning an armed man—identified as Jareth Vance, 32—who was allegedly violating a protective order, WBNS-TV reports. In the bodycam footage, officers are seen approaching an apartment with weapons drawn.
As children fled down the driveway and others came out of the house, Vance can be seen putting a gun to a woman's head. When Officer Dylan Bailey, 29, tells the suspect to drop his weapon, Vance opens fire, and Bailey falls to the ground after being struck.
“When I watched this (video), my heart sank because this is the worst situation. You never want your officers to be involved,” said Police Chief Tommy Hill during a briefing Monday.
The officer was rushed to the hospital and was in stable condition. The woman held at gunpoint also was shot and wounded when she tried to break free from Vance, and she's expected to recover.
“After (Bailey) got a tourniquet on his left leg, he asked the officers to lift him up to where he could get his rifle in the car and point it at the front door, so he could protect everyone that was there," said Hill, who called the officer a hero.
Following the shooting, Vance barricaded himself inside an apartment and held a 16-year-old hostage. The ensuing standoff lasted four hours and ended when Vance surrendered. His hostage also was released unharmed.
Vance was charged with attempted aggravated murder, and other charges are expected, according to Hill.
