TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo police officer was shot and killed overnight in west Toledo, according to city officials.
Toledo Chief of Police George Kral held a press conference along with Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz Saturday morning.
The chief said dispatch received a call shortly after midnight regarding an intoxicated suspect holding a beer and walking around the Home Depot parking lot on the 1000 block of Alexis Road.
Officer Anthony Dia was the first to arrive and was checking if the man was OK, according to Kral.
"Witnesses tell us the suspect was walking away from the officer, and for some reason, turned and fired a round from a handgun, striking officer Dia in the chest. Officer Dia's fellow officers scooped him up and took him to Toledo Hospital, where he, sadly, succumbed to his injuries," Kral said.
The chief added witnesses on the scene confirmed the man who died was the suspect who shot Dia.
Police say Dia was wearing his department-issued body armor.
Backup officers on the scene started looking for the man, who witnesses reported was in a wooded area near the parking lot. A drone and canine officers were used to trace the suspect.
Officers reported a gunshot coming from the wooded area. At 3:15 a.m., officers found the suspect, a 57-year-old man, dead from an apparent gunshot injury to his head, according to Kral. A police source identified him as Edward Henry. Henry had several bench warrants out.
The mayor said he was at the emergency room at 2 a.m. and described it as horrific and heartbreaking.
"Until my dying day, I will never forget the sight of officer Dia wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, his body wrapped on an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo officers, saluting and weeping," Kapszukiewicz said.
Kapszukiewicz also said that officer Dia was Muslim and that he was someone who contributed to the reason why the U.S. and Toledo are so great. He ended his statement asking the public to pray for him, whether they pray to the God Dia prayed to or not.
"On behalf of the city of Toledo, I offer heartfelt condolences to our family, which today has a broken heart and will never forget the contributions and sacrifices of Anthony Dia," he said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered all flags in Lucas County and the Ohio Statehouse to be flown at half-staff Sunday and throughout Dia's funeral services.
Dia was the 31st officer in Toledo to be killed in the line of duty.
Dia was 26-years-old and joined the Toledo Police Department in 2018. He is survived by his father, Tony Dia, his mother, Gina Long, his wife Leigh Jayme and his two small children.
City of Toledo officials and TPD are set to provide another update on Dia's death on Monday.
Memorial service announced
A memorial service for Officer Dia will take place at John F. Savage Arena at the University of Toledo on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., according to the Imam Ali Mosque. The burial will take place at Toledo Memorial Cemetery in Sylvania. Dia was a member of the Imam Ali Mosque in Lambertville.
On Sunday, Officer Dia's remains were taken by police escort from the Lucas County Coroner's Office to a west Toledo funeral home.
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