officer
officer Anthony Dia who paid the ultimate sacrifice in protecting his city tonight"
Breaking
Breaking news ... as we come on the air. A Toledo police officer is dead
... after being
shot and killed overnight.
Officer
Anthony Dia was responding to
check
the safety of an intoxicated man
at the
Home Depot on West Alexis.
Our
Our Caylee Kirby has been tracking this breaking story all night.
She joins us live right now.
Caylee ... we heard
from police chief George Kral
and
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz just a
few hours ago.
That's right Jenna -- both say
it's a say day for the city of Toledo, sad day
for the Police
department and for anyone who knew Officer Anthony Dia.
this all happening in the very
early hours today. Toledo Police Chief
George Kral
says a 911 call came in just
after midnight
about an intoxicated person
walking around
in just after midnight about an
intoxicated person walking
around the Home Depot lot.
Kral says Officer Dia was the
first crew to
arrive on a check the safety
call...
call...
call... "He was checking to make sure
that this man was okay. Witnesses tell us
that
the suspect was walking away
from the
from the
officer
officer and for some reason, turned and fired a round from a handgun
stricking
officer Dia in the chest."
Responding officers took Officer
Dia to
Dia to
Toledo
Toledo Hospital where he later died. The Chief says according to
witnesses --
following the shooting, the
suspect went to a
wooded area near the building
and parking
lot. Around 3:15 this morning,
officers
found the suspect dead of an
apparent
gunshot wound to the head. That
suspect
was a 57 year old white male,
but that's
all the information we have on
him right now.
Officer Dia is survived by his
wife and 2 children. Chief Kral says this
is all the
information they are releasing today. TPD will be holding a press
conference with more
details on Monday. Live in
Downtown Toledo, CK, WTOL11...
This morning, we're learning new
details about what happened outside that Home
Depot
Depot just after midnight. Witnesses capturing vicdeo on their phones
when the altercation started.
You can
hear shouting ... then ... 12
gunshots in just
11 seconds.
gunshots "go go" gunshots"
A witness tells WTOL 11 the
suspect had
suspect had
been
been drinking ... and had a dog with him. When the officer pulled up,
we're told
the suspect started walking
away.
Then, this is what witnesses
saw.
saw.
saw. "The
saw. "The guy turned around, shouted
something and pulled out a gun and started
firing at the police officer"
Officers later finding the
suspect
suspect dead in the woods nearby. Toledo police George
George
Kral
Kral said
Kral said he'll hold a briefing on Monday to provide more information on that
man. Chief George Kral did
say the scene
is safe ... and there is no
threat to the public
right now.
right now. This morning, we're learning
about Officer Anthony DIa. He was a husband
... a father
...
... and
... and a
... and a member of Toledo's Islamic community. The Islamic Center
of
Greater Toledo shared a message
of
condolences and thanks to
officer Dia.
"In the end, Anthony died a
hero, fulfilling
the oath he swore to do. To
uphold the
community he served and loved."
"Our thoughts and prayers are
with his
family, friends and fellow
officers of the
Toledo Police Department as they
are faced with this devastating
loss."
loss."
loss." This morning's deadly shooting
marks the 22nd officer killed in the line
of duty dating
back to 1908. A suspect
shot and
killed K9 officer Falko in 2015.
Robert
Jobe gunned down Detective Keith
Dressel while he was working
undercover with the Vice unit in 20-07. There were also a few officers
killed in
the line of duty in the 60's and
70's.
70's.