Liberty police officer working security detail at bank shoots armed robbery suspect
LIBERTY OH July 28 2019— A Liberty police officer — working a side security job at the Home Savings bank on Belmont Avenue — shot a man police said attempted to rob it at gunpoint Thursday morning.
The officer is on paid administrative leave and his name has not been released. Liberty interim police Chief Toby Meloro said the officer needs time alone to process what happened before his name is released.
It is policy for an officer to go on paid leave if he or she is part of an officer-involved shooting, Meloro said.
Liberty police and the FBI are investigating the attempted bank robbery and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the officer-involved shooting, Meloro said.
Dabrylin Hawkins, 23, was shot several times in his “lower extremities” around 10 a.m. Thursday inside the bank, according to Meloro and a 911 call summary.
Charges of aggravated robbery and felonious assault are expected to be filed, Meloro said.
Dave Gilk, 53, of Girard, was waiting to make a deposit in the bank’s drive-thru when the shots rang out, he said.
“I was going through the drive-thru at the bank to make a deposit. The car in front of me seemed to be taking an awful long time. I was wondering what was taking him so long,” Gilk said. “Then I heard ‘bang, bang, bang, bang.’ It was a lot of gunshots, maybe eight or 12; I don’t know how many.”
Meloro said both the officer and a person attempting to rob the bank fired shots. He did not answer follow-up questions about who fired first or how many shots were fired in total.
He referred questions to BCI, whose spokesman, Steve Irwin, said the investigation is still active and ongoing and he couldn’t answer questions immediately.
The Tribune Chronicle made a verbal record request for the officer’s personnel file. Meloro referred the request to the township’s legal representation.
After the shots were fired, the man who was injured fled south into the neighboring cemetery and ended up in the parking lot of Jimmy’s Italian Specialties, where he was taken into custody, according to reports.
“I drove around to the front and the front window was shattered. There was glass on the ground. I saw the security guard with a gun heading towards the graveyard next to Home Savings,” Gilk said. “I went back around to see if I still could make my deposit. I could see the teller sticking his head up and down. I was told it was closed.”
The man is still in the hospital, Meloro said.
A police incident report was not yet available Thursday afternoon.
De’Ja Thomas, an employee at a nearby business, said she doesn’t understand why someone would put their time and effort into something as dangerous and unproductive as bank robbery.
“If you’re that desperate for money, get a job,” Thomas said. “It’s not that hard. And robbing banks sets a bad example for younger kids. Go to school and do something with yourself.”
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