TOLEDO, Ohio — A witness is speaking out about what he saw leading up to the deadly shooting of Ofc. Anthony Dia, a Toledo police officer.
Ofc. Dia, 26, was responding to a call in the parking lot of Home Depot on Alexis Road early Saturday morning. He was shot in the chest and killed by an intoxicated man holding a beer, police said. Dia was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Derek Braden, 20, is an organizer for Ohio Car Meets which is a group of car enthusiasts who met at the Home Depot on Alexis Road around 10 p.m. Friday.
Braden said the suspect Edward Henry, 57, arrived shortly after the meeting started and hung around until it wrapped up around midnight. He was not associated with the group.
"He was clearly intoxicated because he kept on walking around with beers and he kept asking people for jumper cables and stuff. We said no because we knew he was intoxicated and didn't want him to leave," Braden said.
Braden said that Henry seemed slightly agitated, but never showed any signs of having a gun.
Someone in Braden's group called 911, but as soon as Henry saw Officer Dia pull up in the parking lot, Braden said Henry started walking away and Dia followed him.
"Officer Dia got into a slight jog and got really close to him and that's when he turned on his heel and fired off the few shots. That's when the gunfight erupted," Braden said.
A records search shows that Henry had numerous traffic and alcohol violations dating back to 1986 in Toledo. He also had assault, resisting arrest, traffic, and alcohol charges in Lenawee County.
Both Braden and Ohio Car Meets member, Fawwaz Hamdan, 25, had met Ofc. Dia at previous car meets.
Hamdan and Dia had something in common which was being part of the Muslim Community. He said it was a honor to see Dia serve on the police force.
"There's now a Muslim person inside the police department. People look up to him and say, 'oh, Muslims are helping out the country and helping out people.' We're only trying to help keep the peace. We're trying to help other people and basically follow our religion that expects us to help people. Always help others and always love others," Hamdan said.
Ohio Car Meets as well as other car meet groups including Strictly Sketchy, UT Tuners, Glass City Crawlers, Scrapes n Crepes and 93, are hosting a charity event where all of the proceeds will go towards Officer Dia's family. The event will held on Sunday, August 2 from 12 - 5 p.m. The location is still to be determined.
"He always came out and looked at the rides for a few minutes. He always talked to everyone and was friendly so we just want to show that same support back," Braden said.
A memorial service for Ofc. Dia will take place at John F. Savage Arena at the University of Toledo on Tuesday at 10 a.m., according to the Imam Ali Mosque and Toledo Police.