CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — New details are emerging about the burglary that ended in a fatal officer-involved shooting on, raising questions about the sequence of events leading up to the suspect’s death.
According to newly obtained investigative reports, the suspect—identified as Danny Long of Chillicothe—was inside the home when the victim returned from walking her dog. The woman, whose identity is being withheld for privacy, told deputies she immediately noticed something was wrong. Muddy footprints covered her floor, and her personal handgun, which had been left unloaded on a table, was missing.
As she made her way through the home, the woman said she saw a man step out from behind her bedroom door—her own stolen firearm now pointed directly at her.
“Give me money,” the suspect reportedly demanded.
Fearing for her life, the victim said she ran from the home, escaping with her dog while Long allegedly followed. The report states that the victim managed to cross Pleasant Valley Road and call 911 from a neighbor’s house, telling dispatchers she saw Long re-enter the home before running toward the Chillicothe Baptist Church across State Route 104.
Deputies with the Ross County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene at 4:51 p.m., arriving within minutes. The sheriff’s office has maintained that Long brandished a firearm at deputies before he was shot, but eyewitness accounts previously obtained by The Guardian have cast doubt on that claim.
According to one witness who was stopped along Route 104 at the time, “We saw the whole thing. We thought they were going to tase him, but we heard the shot and saw the gun recoil.” The witness stated that Long turned to walk away before being shot.
However, the newly released report includes statements from the burglary victim that appear to support the official account. She told investigators that she saw Long running toward the church and saw him point a gun at a deputy. The deputy then took cover behind a patrol vehicle, she said, before Long fell to the ground.
She did not, however, state whether she actually saw the deputy fire.
Investigators found evidence that Long had broken into the home through a front window, where they recovered scattered coins and a torn plastic covering. The woman reported that her jewelry box had been disturbed, though she couldn’t confirm if anything was missing.
Authorities are also investigating several rings found near Long’s body. The victim could not say with certainty whether they belonged to her.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has taken over the case as part of protocol for any law enforcement-involved shooting. The Ross County Sheriff’s Office has not yet confirmed whether a firearm was recovered from Long at the scene.
The Guardian will continue to provide updates as the investigation unfolds.