BODYCAM: Driver Pulls Gun On Police During Traffic Stop, SHOTS FIRED, Pursuit Ensues

The Fredericktown Police Department on Wednesday released video footage of the officer-involved shooting that took place June 17.

The footage, which was obtained by Knox Pages through a public records request, was captured by Patrolman Josh Jones' body-worn camera. It shows the incident from start to finish.

Six seconds of audio was redacted, as it contained "information of a person who is not arrested, cited, charged, or issued a written warrant by a peace officer," Chief Kyle Johnson said. Ohio law allows this information to be redacted.

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The video begins with what appears to be a routine traffic stop, conducted by Jones on Upper Fredericktown-Amity Road, near the Armentrout Road intersection.

As Jones approaches the maroon Pontiac sedan parked midway up the hill, he sees a man pointing what appears to be a gun out of his driver's-side window. Jones appears to pivot, retreat, then fire several shots.

Seven shots appear to be fired during the exchange. It's unclear if the man in the maroon Pontiac unloaded any rounds.

After gunfire is exchanged, the red Pontiac speeds off up the hill. Jones gets back in his cruiser and follows.

"42! Shots fired!" a dispatcher can be heard saying on Jones' radio. "42," Jones confirms. "They're going at a high rate of speed towards Amity."

The traffic stop occurred at 2:46 p.m., according to Jones' body-worn camera. Over the next two minutes, he chases the maroon Pontiac north on Upper Fredericktown-Amity Road, eventually losing sight of it near the Richland County line.

Jones describes the vehicle and its passengers to dispatchers during the pursuit, and also says "I did get some shots off."

“He aimed a .40 at me and I discharged," Jones said. "I’m not sure if he got any rounds off.”

Jones was asked multiple times during the pursuit about his status.

"I don't believe I'm hit," Jones told dispatchers, later adding, "I don't see any blood."

The pursuit reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour, Jones told dispatchers. Other units from agencies across the area can be heard joining the pursuit via radio.

Jones continued to trace Knox County's backroads in search of the vehicle, but to no avail. He asked dispatchers to notify Fredericktown Mayor Jerry Day of the incident at 2:56 p.m., then officially terminated the pursuit.

Jones then traveled back to the scene of the shooting to receive medical care from the Fredericktown Community Joint Emergency Ambulance District.

The maroon Pontiac was found abandoned in Richland County at approximately 5 p.m., according to Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer. In the hours that followed, state and local agencies sought the public's assistance in locating the individuals who occupied the vehicle.

Public tips and private investigative tactics allowed police to identify the male in the vehicle as Darren L. Price, 38, of Howard, on Tuesday. The Knox County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant for his arrest.

But neither Price nor the female allegedly riding in the passenger's seat had been apprehended as of Wednesday. - ThisIsButter

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