Clayton Police Chief Matt Hamlin discusses the shooting on Hacker Road with members of the media during a 3 p.m. press conference on Friday.
Ron Nunnari | Register-Herald
CLAYTON — A Clayton police officer was shot Thursday afternoon at a residence on Hacker Road while trying to serve an arrest warrant for another agency.
Elijah Clements, 22, of Clayton had a warrant for his arrest out of Middletown for domestic violence, menacing and arson.
According to Clayton Chief of Police Matt Hamlin, two Clayton officers observed Clements on a porch when they arrived at 1:45 p.m. to serve the warrant. Clements fled into a neighbor’s home and barricaded himself in an upstairs bedroom.
When officers tried to make contact, Clements fired multiple shots at the officers striking Clayton Officer Cody Cecil in the arm. Officers and residents evacuated the home, but a “young male adult” was trapped upstairs in another bedroom. The male was able to escape through a second story window about a half an hour later.
“We do not believe that law enforcement was able to return fire at the shooter,” Hamlin said. “The officers and several residents of the home were then able to evacuate.”
Several area law enforcement agencies responded to the scene to assist, including SWAT teams from Dayton and the county sheriff’s office. Agencies at the scene established a perimeter and SWAT teams attempted to negotiate with Clements.
Clements remained barricaded in the upstairs bedroom. Hours later officers found Clements in the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He did not survive his injury.
Cecil, who has been with the Clayton Police Department since 2015, underwent surgery Friday morning at Miami Valley Hospital and is in stable condition.
“He is maintaining a positive outlook considering the circumstances that he was in,” Hamlin noted.
Hamlin requested the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office to handle the investigation of the shooting.
According to Hamlin, this is the first officer involved shooting in Clayton’s history.
“As you know, we are a very small agency in a tight-knit community and this thankfully is not the norm for us,” Hamlin stated. “This is first officer involved shooting in the history of the Clayton Police Department.”
The other Clayton officer assisting at the scene was not injured.
Several area police agencies responded to assist when the “Signal 99” call for officer assistance was dropped.
Responding agencies included Brookville, Butler Township, Clay Township, Dayton Police and SWAT, Englewood, Kettering, Oakwood, Perry Township, MetroParks, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County SWAT, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Trotwood, Union, and Vandalia.
“We want to stress the deep sense of tragedy that has touched our community,” Hamlin said. “We are profoundly grateful to the various agencies that swiftly responded ensuring the safety of our residents.”
Reach Ron Nunnari by email: [email protected].
