By Whitney Vickers
FAIRBORN — Fairborn Police Department announced that Fairborn Officer William Titley was the individual involved in the shooting during the standoff Monday.
Titley has served the Fairborn Police Department for 18 years and has been a member of the Regional Emergency Response Team since 2004. For 12 years, he served as the school resource officer at Fairborn City Schools, where he was responsible for teaching D.A.R.E., but transitioned from that role in January to a patrol officer position.
He received the Fairborn Employee of the Year award in 2001, Knights of Columbus Blue Coat award and Fairborn City Schools Excellence award in 2014.
Titley recently taught two sessions — which focused on firearms and use of force — at the Fairborn Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy, a 12-week course designed to teach participants on the workings of various police duties.
“Deadly force is justifiable, objectively reasonable, to protect the officer from death or serious injury, or to protect others from death or serious injury,” Titley said during week seven of the academy.
In previous interviews with the Herald, Titley said he underwent every nationally accredited active shooter training in the United States. He has taught Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response, Raider Solo Engagement Training, Single Officer Response to Active Threat and Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate training.
Titley, along with another Fairborn officer, co-wrote Single Officer Response to Active Threat training. Last December, he presented protocol information to department and city officials on how the department would handle a mass casualty event at the local school district. He said then that it was designed to be in 100 percent agreement between the police department and Fairborn City Schools. When Fairborn City Schools experienced a lockdown situation Thursday, Dec. 10, students and Titley were praised by school officials during the regular board meeting that took place later that evening.
The standoff took place after Fairborn officers were called to assist the Dayton Police Department Monday in tracking down a robbery suspect, Rouven Loch, 22, of Fairborn, according to police. Fairborn detectives attempted to contact him for a safe surrender, but Loch resisted and officers eventually deployed tear gas into the residence, according to news reports.
When Loch exited the residence, he allegedly pointed a M&P 45 pellet gun toward officers, which is when a single shot struck him, according to police reports. Loch later died. Police reported that the pellet gun looks similar to a Smith & Wesson M&P 45.
Titley is on administrative leave as the incident is still under investigation. He is also receiving counseling per department requirements.