By Police1 Staff
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Newly released dash cam captured the deadly 2013 shooting of a suspect who pulled a handgun on an officer after being stopped.
According to the Westerville News & Public Opinion, Officer David Leighty stopped 59-year-old John W. Montgomery for an equipment violation in November 2013 when the shooting occurred.
After initially failing to stop, Montgomery pulled over and armed himself with a handgun, which Leighty spotted as he approached the vehicle.
After ordering the suspect to drop the weapon several times, Leighty fired multiple shots and struck Montgomery, who had a prior felony for voluntary manslaughter.
Montgomery was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. A female passenger in the car was uninjured.
“People like to qualify situations as a routine traffic stop or a routine alarm, but there are no routine calls of any kind,” Westerville Police Chief Joe Morbitzer told the News & Public Opinion at the time of the shooting. “The officer was fighting to protect his life at that time.”
The incident was reportedly the first time in the 98-year history of the department that an officer fired shots during a call.