The Dayton Police Department has released an update on the officer who was shot on Monday night as the Drug Enforcement Agency task force he was working with attempted to serve a search warrant at a home on Ruskin Ave. in Dayton.
The statement from Chief Richard Biehl says Dayton Police Detective Jorge DelRio, “remains on advanced life support at this time and in grave condition." The injuries DelRio sustained are "tragically not survivable," it reads.
The police chief goes on to reiterate the officer’s contribution as a police detective and TFO agent for the past three decades. Biehl says DelRio was, “saving lives by trying to rid the streets of Dayton and beyond from harmful, illegal drugs."
DPD officials say the department will release a formal announcement when DelRio succumbs to his injuries.
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A Dayton Police detective remains in critical condition after being shot while serving a search warrant Monday night.
Jorge DelRio and other officers with the DEA task force were serving the warrant at residence on Ruskin Road in Dayton. They were met with gunfire in the basement of that home where four adult men were apprehended but not before DelRio was shot twice in the face.
A juvenile was also caught while trying to escape. Several high-powered weapons as well as money and several bags containing fentanyl were confiscated.
In an afternoon press conference Tuesday, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl praised the injured officer for a lifetime of work.
“There's no doubt that through his hard work and dedication Detective Del Rio has saved and changed countless lives," he said. "Through his own sacrifice and peril, George exemplifies the Dayton Police Department's motto of ‘Honor through Service and Service with honor.”
Jorge DelRio has been with Dayton Police for about 30 years and has received numerous awards and commendations throughout his career.
David DeVillers, the new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and City Manager Shelley Dickstein were also on hand for the press conference.
A statement from DeVillers' office says one of the four men apprehended in the home has been charged federally with “assaulting a law enforcement officer engaged in a federal investigation with a deadly weapon,” and that two others have been charged in a drug conspiracy.
Charged with the deadly-weapon assault charge is Nathan S. Goddard Jr., 39. He’s also charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine and marijuana.
Cahke Cortner, 39, and Lionel Combs III, 40, have also been charged.
DeVillers' statement says that the investigation into the “Dayton-based fentanyl operation” was conducted from mid-July through late October.
In all, the DEA says they secured, nine kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 50 to 60 pounds of marijuana, and approximately $51,000 in cash.
The assault of a federal officer charge, according to DeVillers' office, “is punishable by up to 20 years in prison; using a firearm in doing so includes a mandatory additional 10 year prison term.”
The narcotics conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum 20 years to life in prison.
