Man pleads guilty in Fairborn police officer shooting

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XENIA — A Fairborn man pleaded guilty Feb. 25 to attempted murder after shooting a Fairborn police officer in the arm during a standoff last April.

Luke D. Easterday, 19, changed his plea for the first-degree felony along with firearm and forfeiture specifications, according to a plea agreement report filed in Greene County Common Pleas Court. The state dismissed the remaining charges, attempted aggravated murder and three counts of felonious assault.

According to the City of Fairborn, Fairborn Police Sgt. Bill Titley responded to a shots-fired incident inside the Fairborn Apartments complex April 2, 2019. During the investigation, officers developed identifying suspect information concerning Easterday. Officers then responded to Easterday’s home, when Easterday allegedly fired a single round from an upstairs window, hitting Titley.

Police said Regional Emergency Response Team (RERT) members deployed chemical munitions into the residence after numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Easterday. After no response, they entered the residence, found Easterday inside and took him into custody.

Titley, a 22-year veteran of the department, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Easterday is being held in the Greene County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Sentencing will be held 11 a.m. Monday, March 30, after a pre-sentence investigation is complete. A jury trial was set to begin Monday, March 2 in Judge Michael A. Buckwalter’s courtroom.

According to the plea agreement, the firearm specification carries a mandatory three-year prison term, which Easterday must serve first. The minimum prison term is an additional three years and the maximum term is 16.5 years, the document states. Easterday must also register as part of the Violent Offender Database. Post-release control is mandatory for five years.

Easterday
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/02/web1_Easterday-2.jpgEasterday

Titley
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/02/web1_Titley-2.jpgTitley

By Anna Bolton

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Call 937-502-4498 or follow Anna Bolton, Reporter on Facebook.

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