TOLEDO, Ohio — Newly-released dash and body cam video reveals what happened during an officer-involved shooting involving a Toledo police officer.
The shooting happened early Wednesday morning near a Dollar General on 1305 N. Reynolds after officers were dispatched to a report of an armed robbery at a nearby gas station.
During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Chief George Kral said that he believes 28-year-old Officer Bradley Knapp, a six-year veteran, followed department protocol.
"I'm at the Speedway at Dorr and Reynolds. I work here. I just got robbed at gunpoint," the cashier can be heard saying on the 911 call.
According to police, 51-year-old Paul Villagomez robbed the Speedway located at 5160 Dorr St. at gunpoint shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday. Chief Kral said Villagomez has a criminal history of aggravated burglary.
The 911 caller said the location had just been robbed at gunpoint by a white male with a handgun who fled towards the Tim Hortons in the plaza across the street.
In the dash cam video, Knapp can be seen driving to the scene, before he finds Villagomez darting behind the Dollar General. He then asked the suspect to stop.
"He [Villagomez] was walking away. He has a gun in his hand and he's holding it, almost like he's getting ready to rack a round into it," Kral said.
Knapp asked the suspect to let him see his hands before firing seven times. Villagomez was shot only once in the leg.
"We're trained to shoot until the threat is over. In this case, he stopped. He stopped when the suspect threw the gun on the ground so he did a great job of weapons discipline," Kral said.
After shooting Villagomez, Knapp can be heard asking him, "What is your problem pulling a gun on me?" To which Villagomez replied, "There are no bullets."
An officer applied a tourniquet to Villagomez's wound and he was taken to the hospital. He is expected to be OK. His firearm was recovered at the scene. A bag containing money was found inside his clothing and a warrant was issued for aggravated robbery.
Knapp will be placed on a three-day paid leave, per union contract, and have access to critical incident debriefing. Police are conducting a firearms review.
This is the first officer-involved shooting for Toledo police in 2020. The last officer-involved shooting occurred on Dec. 20, 2018, according to Toledo police.
This is the second officer-involved shooting in the area in recent weeks, as Sylvania Township Police were involved in one on Feb. 26. That incident was a gas station robbery on West Alexis Road and Whiteford Road in Sylvania Township, and the knife-wielding suspect died after being shot.