Sandy MaloneDayton, OH – Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said Tuesday that the detective who was shot while serving a warrant with the DEA Task Force on Monday night is in “grave” condition.
Chief Biehl identified the wounded hero as Dayton Police Detective Jorge DelRio, a 30-year veteran of the police force who had been working with the DEA Task Force since 2000.
The chief said Det. DelRio was shot twice during the incident and remained in critical condition on advanced life support.
“Det. DelRio was struck twice in the face and those bullets penetrated deep. So his condition is grave,” he said.
The shooting occurred just before 7 p.m. as task force members were serving a drug-related warrant in the 1400-block of Ruskin Road, WHIO reported.
Agents came under gunfire from a suspect in the basement.
Officials said Det. DelRio returned fire but was only able to get off one shot before he collapsed.
“We’re serving a warrant with the DEA. We need a medic,” an officer told a 911 dispatcher, according to WHIO.
Chief Biehl said that other officers called an ambulance but then decided they didn’t have time to wait for it.
So they loaded the Det. DelRio into a police vehicle and drove him to Grandview Medical Center for treatment because it was faster than waiting for the ambulance.
Police took five suspects who were inside the home at the time of the shooting into custody.
Chief Biehl said four adult males were apprehended inside the house and one juvenile male was captured as he tried to flee across the front yard.
U.S Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dave DeVillers told reporters that the suspected shooter, Nathan Goddard, has been charged with felonious assault on an agent.
The other adults inside the home are all facing federal drug conspiracy charges.
Agents recovered 2 loaded pistols with extended 30 round magazines and laser sights in the basement of the house, one of which is believed to have been used to shoot Det. DelRio.
DeVillers said they also recovered an AR pistol that was new and still in its packaging, along with a new 30-round magazine that had already been loaded.
He said agents found 13 kilos – divided up into nine packages – of fentanyl and cocaine and 51 pounds of marijuana in the basement, along with more than $44,000 in cash.
Chief Biehl described Det. DelRio as an “amazing individual” with a large extended family.
He said the wounded hero’s children and grandchildren were at the hospital until late into the night.
Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein appeared to be on the verge of tears as she addressed reporters from the podium.
“2019 has been an especially difficult year for our police department,” Dickstein said. “The extraordinary number and frequency of tragic events have fallen squarely on their shoulders leaving little room for personal reflection, grieving or quite frankly recovery.”
“While I am confident in their commitment and professionalism to get the job done, I remain concerned about the toll the year has taken,” she said.
Det. DelRio is a decorated member of the police force who received an award for heroism and professionalism in 1990, the Dayton Daily News reported.
He was awarded for his outstanding performance on duty related to a neighborhood security detail in 1994.
Court records showed the detective has worked extensively in an undercover capacity, the Dayton Daily News reported.
The Dayton Fraternal Order of Police announced that they have postponed the Policeman’s Ball that was scheduled for Saturday night because of the shooting.