A fight that erupted into gunfire on Washington Church Road sent a nearby senior living facility into a temporary shelter-in-place order Wednesday, after shots rang out just after midday near a stretch of road that also houses a school and an animal shelter. No injuries were reported among residents or staff at the facility, and no one was hurt in the incident itself.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, deputies from the Washington Township Substation responded to the 8600 block of Washington Church Road around 12:31 p.m. Wednesday for a reported fight. A preliminary investigation indicated a firearm was discharged into the air during the altercation, the sheriff's office said. Two individuals involved had already left the area before deputies arrived — one on foot, and another in a silver Nissan Altima, per the same report.
The gunfire occurred close enough to Stoney Ridge Senior Living that Executive Director Dereck Farris placed the facility under a temporary shelter-in-place order as a precaution, according to WHIO TV. Stoney Ridge Senior Living sits at 8630 Washington Church Road, placing it directly in the vicinity of the reported fight, and the outlet reports no residents or employees were injured during the lockdown.
Road Closed for Investigation, Then Reopened
Deputies temporarily closed Washington Church Road between Lyons Road and Spring Valley Road to process the scene, reopening the corridor later Wednesday evening, the sheriff's office said in its report. The stretch is a heavily traveled north-south route through Washington Township, and the closure affected traffic in and around several institutions clustered along the road.
The 8000 to 9000 blocks of Washington Church Road host a mix of sensitive community sites, including Stoney Ridge Senior Living, the SICSA Pet Adoption Center, and Dayton Christian School, which operates its campus at 9391 Washington Church Road, according to information published by Dayton Christian School. That density of schools, senior care, and nonprofit operations along a single corridor amplifies concern whenever gunfire is reported in the area.
Open Questions and Legal Exposure
What sparked the altercation remains unclear, and the identities of the two individuals who fled — one on foot, one in the silver Nissan Altima — have not been released. It is also not known whether the vehicle has since been located. The sheriff's office says its investigation remains active and is asking anyone with information to come forward.
If suspects are identified, Ohio law gives investigators clear statutory grounds to pursue charges. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2923.162, discharging a firearm over a public road or near inhabited dwellings is illegal and can be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the risk of physical harm created, according to the Joslyn Law Firm. The statute applies regardless of whether anyone was actually struck or hurt.
A Township That Contracts Out Its Policing
Washington Township does not run its own police department. Instead, the unincorporated township contracts with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, which operates a substation at 8190 McEwen Road staffed by 36.5 personnel serving more than 32,000 residents, according to the Washington Township Government. That arrangement explains why county deputies, rather than a municipal force, responded to Wednesday's fight.
The substation's caseload gives some sense of scale: in 2025, deputies stationed there handled 292 detective cases and investigated 458 traffic crashes across the township, per township records. Earlier this year, Washington Township leaders placed a 0.9-mill continuous police levy before voters, aiming to raise roughly $1.7 million annually to add a detective, two road patrol deputies, and two cruisers to the sheriff's contingent serving the township.
Anyone with information about Wednesday's incident is asked to contact the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center at 937-225-4357, or reach out anonymously to Miami Valley Crime Stoppers at 222-STOP. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards of up to $2,000 for anonymous tips leading to an arrest and indictment in felony cases across Montgomery County. The sheriff's office has not released any additional details on suspects or a possible motive as the investigation continues.
