Thursday, November 24, 2011

Ross Township, OH: Police: Man fatally shot during domestic violence call

ROSS TOWNSHIP - A 33-year-old man was shot and killed late Tuesday after police said he pointed a long-barreled gun at officers who responded to a domestic violence call.

Michael Snader Jr., who lived at the address at 2426 School Road, died at the scene.

Township Police Officer Gary Vaughn, 51, who fired the shot, has been placed on temporary administrative leave, which is routine after police-involved shootings.

The shooting is under investigation by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office at the request of township police.

Township Police Chief Ben Kramer said it appeared Vaughn acted properly and within the department’s guidelines for use of force.

“It’s not something you ever want to happen, but you know as a police officer, you can face difficult decisions and actions at any time,” he said.

Officers were dispatched to the home shortly after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday for an active domestic violence call, Kramer said.

Dispatch records released by the sheriff’s office indicate that an unidentified woman called 911 from the address and told them “my husband has a gun.”

The woman was sobbing and a man could be heard in the background yelling that he was reloading the gun and was going to shoot the woman’s father and brother in the head when they pulled into the driveway.

As the township officers approached the house, they could see a woman and a man, later identified as Snader, holding a “long gun.”

Officers saw Snader, who was still armed, go into an attached garage and continued to observe him through a window, Kramer said.

The officers ordered Snader to drop his weapon. Vaughn shot Snader through the garage door when Snader raised the firearm and pointed it at one of the officers, Kramer said.

Vaughn, a police officer since 1982, has worked for Ross Township for six years. He was police chief in New Miami before the village disbanded the force in 2007 because of budget woes.

No comments: