One nine. >> On August 11th, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio, officers received word that an armed man had just shattered a window and forced his way into an apartment. >> 1517 street. 01 is the caller. Ex-roommate, Shonting Miller, male, mixed race, 5'10, no clothing description, broken through window. They believe he's in the room on the left from the front door. Starting to 1517 street. >> As officers sped toward [music] the address, they had no way of knowing what this day was about to turn into. A chaotic situation that would require support from specialized units and equipment [music] reserved for the most dangerous calls. >> So, apparently he's an ex-roommate that keeps coming back. >> Turn right onto Neil Avenue. >> He said he's been known to be violent in the past. Also known to carry a 33. >> Arrived. >> 1517 >> I'm assuming that is here. 1527 right there, 1525. So, I did Put your hands where I can see them. >> Put your hands up! PUT YOUR HANDS UP! >> YOU GOT HIM? WE HAVE ONE INSIDE REFUSING TO come out. He's He's got a 33 on him. 10-3, he's got a 33. >> PUT THE GUN DOWN. PUT THE GUN DOWN. YEAH, HE'S one street over. He's hiding on the porch. He's got the .33 on him still. PUT THE GUN DOWN. PUT THE GUN DOWN. PUT THE GUN DOWN. I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU AGAIN. OKAY, HE'S RUNNING towards Worthy in the street. Light-skinned male, black. >> [snorts] >> About 6 ft tall, all black, book bag. Looks like a black semi-automatic. I don't like being out in the open. >> Landing for you. I'm in the area. What's the D.O.T.? >> Eastbound from Nathan and Worthington. >> At the stop sign, turn left onto West 9th >> What's the description again? Light-skinned male, black. About 6 ft tall, all black, book bag. He's at 108th. 108th. Does he still have the 33? Yes, that's affirmed, as far as we know. 108th. He's at 108th. What's 108th? >> Hunter. >> Hunter. He's walking eastbound on 8th. >> Correction, Highland and 8th. Highland and 8th. >> Be careful. He was stalking us. Be careful. Hey, the cruiser at scene, he was kind of stalking us around the corner behind one of the houses, too. He's waiting for us to make a mistake. >> Yeah, he's hunkered down. Let's just uh set up a perimeter. >> Can we get a car on Hunter just uh north of of 8th? >> He's right around here somewhere, so be careful. He's lying in wait. So, just take a spot. There he is. Yeah. I think we got him walking, I believe northbound, through the houses. He'll come right out to you. He's in between these uh beige houses. >> Yeah, he's running uh He's running towards the location again. >> What's up, man? >> He's going back eastbound. He's going back eastbound. >> there. He went like two blocks and cut. >> Got you. >> Yeah, buddy. >> All right, man. Thanks. PUT THE GUN DOWN! I'M GOING TO I'M GOING TO GET YOUR HANDS UP! PUT IT DOWN! PUT IT DOWN! PUT IT DOWN RIGHT NOW! PUT IT DOWN! PUT THE PUT THE GUN DOWN! >> HE'S RUNNING BACK. >> HE'S STILL GOT THE GUN IN HIS HAND. GUN IN HIS HAND! >> PUT IT DOWN! PUT IT DOWN! PUT THE GUN DOWN! >> DROP IT! NOPE. DROP THE GUN, MOTHER DROP IT! GIVE ME JUST THE GUN. PUT THE GUN DOWN! PUT IT DOWN! PUT THE GUN DOWN! >> WHERE IS HE? >> HE WENT TO THE LEFT. >> HE'S HUNKERED down there. >> Where is he? Do you see him? >> hunkered down there somewhere. >> He's probably hunkered down under here. >> Can anyone see down through there? >> I got you straight ahead. You need to go up, Diddy. Behind you. To your left. >> Can you see him? >> Another block. Another block. >> Oh my god. Somebody needs to get in a cruiser. >> Where's he at? >> He's He ran down that way. >> Let's go. >> All right. Be careful. >> We need the chopper. >> Chopper doesn't have a crew. It's 10-11. Damn it. See if OSP can send one. >> Where is he? Which way did you see him go? >> That over here somewhere. >> He's got the gun in his hand, just so you know. >> Three, he still has a gun. >> Go back in your house. Somebody's around here. What street is that there? Did somebody pop out right there? >> They went that way. >> He's running eastbound. >> He's got the 33 in his hand still. He ran that way. We need a cruiser. There's only one cruiser out. He's going to come back around, I bet you anything. >> Last seen this way, this way is where he went. >> I had more than any sense. >> I hear him on the left here. I hear Do you see him? Ready? Get behind me, let's go. >> Stack it, careful. >> I don't see him, I don't see him. I don't see him, but we got cops over there. Cops over there. WATCH IT. >> WATCH CROSS. >> Was this one Can you get in this one? Did you even check? >> Have any more on the direction of travel here? >> I last saw him in the area of Sampson and Worthington. One of these found. We need to get a perimeter set up. If we can get a car south of our location. >> He's probably trying to get back to the house. >> Take me back to that truck. Back to that Back of that truck. >> Watch right. Somebody watch right. You guys want to take alley Look, there's a hard left. >> Yeah, let's go. This had an open door here in this house. >> 7A Stay BY EVERYBODY. WHOEVER WAS COME BACK AND SET UP A PERIMETER. I'm coming your way. >> 1469 Worthington Street is a >> your front. We need one more. I need one more person. >> 7A right here. >> And then I'm going to come over >> We're good. >> to here. You see the address on this place? >> 197 West 8th Avenue is where the 7A is. All right, we're ready? >> Yep. >> I'm going to go and I'm going to go to this side of the the brick wall over here. >> Yep. Yep. Yep. >> We're going to get a little Cover me as I cross over. >> You got cover where you go. >> Yes, it looks forced. >> It's going to be a force 7A. We'll be checking in. >> me right here? >> Yep. >> Columbus police! YOU BETTER SOUND OFF! >> THIS IS OPEN, TOO. THIS IS NOT FORCED. There's one open at the top. Yeah. This one you said you can tell is it forced? >> Yeah. >> Okay. All right. I'm going to cross to 197. >> See, can you see in the crack of that door there? >> I don't know. >> No, no, right here. YOU BETTER SOUND OFF! WHAT IS IN THERE? >> THERE'S A ROOM LEADING back to another door straight straight that way. I'm going to stay on your back until you move. >> Yeah, you're good. UM YOU BETTER SOUND OFF! COLUMBUS POLICE! >> WATCH YOUR TOP. And we got side windows here, Adam. You're right in front. >> I'm going to go in. >> Go right? >> You You cover me here. I'll go right. You ready? Let's go together. >> I'm behind you. >> COLUMBUS POLICE! >> HAVE A 198 West 7th Avenue is also a >> We need one more in if we can. And we're going to go two directions. I'm going with him, you go with her. This goes right, left, and straight. >> Did something come through there? Can't see it, Adam. Okay. I'm I'm to go straight just to clear that right there If you watch me there. All right. I'm going to open it a little bit. That? >> Hello. I'm going to go hard left to that corner to that side. >> Hard there, okay. Got you. >> Coming out. Clear. >> All right. ON LEFT. WHO'S IN THERE? WHO'S IN THERE? ARE YOU IN THERE? OKAY, HE'S GOING TO BE IN THERE. GET OUT OF HERE. GET OUT OF HERE. COME ON. COME ON. QUICK. QUICK. QUICK. YOU GOOD? YOU GOOD? HE'S IN HERE. HEY, COME ON. CAN'T SEE THE FREAKING WE GOT TO GET THIS DOOR OPEN. ANYBODY GET ANYTHING DONE? I DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET INTO THAT ROOM. >> JUST STOP. STOP. >> HEY, YOU SOUND OFF. I'M GOING TO KICK THIS DOOR, OKAY? YOU OKAY? I'M GOING to kick this door. It's going to open right back. HE'S LIKE, "RELOADING." GET OUT. >> MAN, WE'RE WE'RE PULLING OUT. HE'S FIRING. HE'S RELOADED. Somebody call SWAT. We're going to need help. >> You all right? >> Yeah, I'm good. >> Come on. Casey comes out. >> Have anyone injured? >> No officers injured. Shots fired. He's reloading. He's hunkered down in a back room. We're setting up a perimeter tight. We need SWAT and we need some bunkers. >> They're coming with 14 coming with a bunker. SWAT team notified. >> Yeah, we might want to move out just in case he comes out. >> We got to move to a safe location. Casey, stop a second. Let me check you. Let me check you. Let me check you. >> I'm good. >> I know. I want to double check you. >> After hearing the suspect reload and fire again, officers immediately backed out of the house. With no visual on his position and the threat still [music] active, they moved to stronger cover and requested tactical support. >> Any luck on a chopper to help us with containment cuz this building's got multiple floors, multiple exits. >> Currently, officers are positioned here, just outside the house where the suspect last fired. The original house where the suspect was first seen is right here, just a short distance away. >> That's 11114. Bring your rifle up to my location. >> East. >> Hey. >> That's the east. >> Guys, if he shoots from the house, he's got cover. >> Let's go. Let's >> If he pops out, >> Watch the hole right there when you come around. >> [music] >> We need to come We need to right through the back. >> Yeah. >> IT'S THAT OPEN DOOR, JUST SO YOU KNOW. >> And the alley's to the open door to your right. That's going to be where he entered and he went straight left. He's in that back corner. He's got [music] He did reload. >> Officers' plans are to lock down the block and start gaining every advantage they can. Teams take cover behind nearby houses while others work to move into neighboring homes to secure higher vantage points as [music] they wait for SWAT to arrive, ready to bring in drones and Bearcats if necessary. >> See that cruiser? >> Yeah. >> Okay, they're going to be to your right, just so you know. >> Yeah, I don't really like this uh >> I don't either. >> crossfire deal. That's >> I don't either. >> Yeah, it's really not a great >> make an office if you go across the street, cuz you have an angle, now. >> We got We got one rifle across the street, but you want to try to get to that corner. >> That's 17, I copy. >> There's no rifle where you got >> Nah, I'll just stay here. He poked his head out, I don't know. >> This is probably 40. Come out with your hands up with no weapons. Come out of the residence house with no weapons. >> Police Department. >> This is Officer Miller. Come out the front door with your hands up. Come out >> I'm going to >> with your hands up. >> I'm going to go around, give him some things to say. Okay. So, stuff like "Hey, no one wants to hurt you. We We want to make sure you're not injured. We got a medic standing by to help you." >> You think he's got any more anybody in there? >> Well, there was three or four shots here on the chase. And then in here, it was done done battle. >> Were you inside >> We were inside the Four of us inside. He trapped one of one of our people in the corner. He was firing shots. >> We don't have somebody in there. >> No, he's out, now. So, I would So, I can either make an office if you have something to do, or you can make an office. I don't care. >> Uh if you want to talk to him, you're You do this, right? Yeah. So, you do it. Take it from there. >> get I got That way you can do your sergeant stuff. >> There's a cell in the next building. You understand English? >> No no English. >> You don't know English? Anyone No? Anybody speak Spanish? Anybody speak Spanish? Okay, so there's a There's a man over there with a So, that's all the police. Can I come in and look? >> What are you looking at? >> Can I Can I enter and look? >> Look at this. >> Can I Is it okay? We might have a good vantage point in here if we can get in. English or Spanish? There's a man with a gun in the building. Okay. And then, can we come in and look out your back windows? Yes? I'm in the apartment directly south of that house. >> Asante. Let's slow this down. We want to make sure you're not injured. We have a medic standing by to help you. I know there's a lot going on outside. >> From the upstairs vantage points, snipers finally had eyes on the exact section [music] of the apartment where the suspect was hunkered down. Their first real line of sight since the gunfire erupted and a crucial position [music] as the standoff grew more volatile. >> I just thought if he starts shooting out here at officers cuz there's so many back here, we might have to I can't see that third floor window at all. I couldn't see it in the back window either. Let me look. >> I think that we shouldn't give up this ground. So, I'm going to stay in here. I mean, you got me a chair and everything. So, I'm going to stay here for a long time. Since they have their SWAT team coming and we have plenty of dudes, let's go ahead and you want to explore and see if you can get a vantage point on the two windows that are on the left side. And if not, you have to come on back here and we can just swap in and out. >> All right. I'm on it. I'm back. >> No, I'm I'm going down to the original location to get information from from our >> The destination is on your right. >> Police. >> Coming out. >> How you doing? >> Is Is this a guy that you guys know or >> Police. >> Looks like he used to live here. >> There's a bullet in it. >> Really? >> Okay. >> There's a bullet on your counter? >> I guess. >> Okay, just leave it. This This is a standoff right now. And I don't know if you heard there were multiple shots fired. >> But this is a very like >> Okay. >> extremely high situation. >> Okay. >> So, here's what I want to find out. Do you guys know anything about him, his background? >> Uh yeah, a little bit, yeah. >> Do you know if he was ever diagnosed with anything specific like >> that he's ever sought I don't know that he's ever sought help but a lot of signs like bipolar. >> Signs of bipolar? >> Yeah, like very very much like like he's Yeah, he just flips a switch like he'd be sitting in our house with us and all of a sudden he'd be like what the guys like you know or something like get very dangerous with people you know just out of nowhere. >> Yeah, he is. >> Did it anytime did you guys see a gun a firearm on him? >> when the police said come out with your hands up I heard him a gun in the kitchen. >> Yeah. >> You heard him a gun in the kitchen. >> he cocked the gun and then >> When when the when you heard the police at the front door saying police? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> And then what did he do after after he cocked >> out the back door I >> He ran out the back door after he cocked the gun and >> Yes. >> Okay. >> After speaking with friends officers had a clearer picture of who they were dealing with. >> And I have a really good view down this alleyway. >> Mhm. >> On the other side of this white bump out >> Mhm. >> uh on the opposite side is a door. >> Okay. >> So he could try to squeeze out there or leave or come out there and surrender. >> Right. >> So I have down that little sidewalk got my soul >> With nearly 2 [music] hours passing since he was last seen and no movement inside SWAT arrived with Bearcats and tactical drones to take over. [music] >> I'm still right here. SWAT's in the other one to the right. I'm I'm out of play though. They just pulled [music] up. >> SWAT positioned units at both the front and rear of the building while other officers watched from these nearby apartments. The suspect entered through the door [music] here and is believed to be inside this room. The drone was sent in through the same doorway officers had used during the earlier exchange of gunfire. Inside it approached the room where the suspect was last seen but the door was partially shut. In the back SWAT had already fired bunker rounds through the window and used the Bearcat to break it open even further clearing a path for the drone to enter without exposing officers to another potential ambush. >> [music] >> Once tactical drones were sent inside, officers found 22-year-old Assante Miller in a back room, the same room where the earlier exchange [music] of gunfire had taken place. He was dead from a gunshot wound to the head with a second wound to his right thigh. In Miller's pocket, officers recovered [music] cash allegedly stolen from the initial 911 caller. He was also wearing a backpack containing two loaded 9-mm pistol magazines, three boxes of 9-mm ammunition, and an Ozark hatchet. [music] SWAT cleared the remainder of the apartment and found no additional threats. Ultimately, no officers were injured in either exchange of gunfire and the standoff lasted nearly 3 hours before Miller was found dead, bringing the case to an end.