A Dayton police officer shot in the left side of his face Tuesday night who returned fire, striking the suspect multiple times, was able to request help for himself and the wounded suspect as well as direct bystanders to safety.

The officer shot was identified as Thadeu Holloway, an eight-year veteran of the Dayton Police Department, said Matt Carper, interim director and chief, during a Wednesday afternoon news briefing.

The officer-involved shooting began with an investigation into a fake bill passed at a Dollar General store, Carper said. Holloway responded around 6:45 p.m. to Dollar General at 888 S. Gettysburg Ave. for a fraud complaint after a customer passed a counterfeit bill earlier in the day, Carper said.

Holloway arrived at 7:26 p.m. at the rear of 609 Ingram St. and approached 39-year-old Antwyane Deon Lowe, who matched the description of the suspect in the Dollar General fraud call, Carper said.

As Holloway approached and addressed Lowe, he ignored the officer and began to walk away. As Holloway got closer to Lowe, he turned and punched Holloway in the face without warning, Carper said.

The officer used his Taser, and Lowe fell to the ground but was able to reach into his pocket and pull out a handgun, firing one round that struck Holloway in the left side of his face, Carper said.

“The officer fell to the ground and immediately returned fire with five rounds, striking the suspect multiple times. Despite his injuries, the officer was able to effectively request assistance for himself and the wounded suspect. The officer also provided for the safety of witnesses and bystanders by directing them to a place of safety.”

Police played radio traffic of the incident during the media briefing. “609 Ingram. I’ve been shot. … I returned fire. I need medics and I need crews, please,” Holloway told dispatchers. “609 Ingram. Please hurry. I’ve been shot on the left side of my head. I can barely hear my earpiece.”

Another Dayton officer took Holloway in a marked cruiser to Miami Valley Hospital. His left temporal artery was torn in the shooting, but he was in stable condition.

Dayton police who arrived provided aid to Lowe, and Dayton medics took him to Miami Valley Hospital. Police said he was in critical condition Tuesday night but he has improved and on Wednesday was in stable condition, police said.

Holloway’s bodycam video, which was played during the media briefing, showed Holloway try to speak to Lowe and the point when Lowe suddenly turned around and punched the officer. Holloway immediately used his Taser and Lowe fell to the ground but the Taser appeared to have limited effect.

Lowe ignored Holloway’s commands to put his hands behind his back and get on his stomach. Lowe pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Holloway in the face, the video showed.

Holloway returned fire, and requested help. He maintained contact with police dispatchers and asked concerned residents to stay inside and assured them that help was on the way.

Carper said charges that will be filed against Lowe include two counts of felonious assault on a police officer as well as carrying a concealed weapon, weapons under disability and counterfeiting.

“I knew I’d been shot, obviously. I fell to the ground, I never lost consciousness, I knew what happened. I knew what I had to do, so after I had returned fire, I was in my head thinking, ‘I’m going to die,’” Holloway said.

He was covered in blood and knew he had to get to the hospital fast. “I could feel the blood spewing out of my head, I could taste the blood as it was running from my face, I could see it as it was pooling in front of me,” he recalled.

Another officer put Holloway in a cruiser and got him to Miami Valley Hospital in under four minutes; Holloway remembers it all. His wife Amanda Holloway was home with their two girls when she got a phone call.

When she turned on Main Street and saw the street covered with police cars, she knew that wasn’t a good sign. All she could do was wait while doctors worked on his injuries.

“The bullet hit right here on my temple, and traveled underneath the skin and then came out here,” Thadeu recalled. Recovery has been a long and difficult process.

Holloway said he is still dealing with a traumatic brain injury, memory issues and headaches. He also has trouble finding words, has ringing in his ear and some hearing, as well as vision loss.

Law enforcement has always been a part of Thadeu and Amanda’s life.

She started as a dispatcher 19 years ago and now works in the administrative office at the Huber Heights Police Division.

Thadeu joined the National Guard in high school and got deployed three times. He spent nine years as a Dayton police officer. “In January I actually fought with my doctors to at least go back to work, they wanted me stay off work a little longer and I couldn’t stay off,” he said.

He’s now on light duty, 20 hours a week. In the meantime his memories have brought him back to the night of the shooting every time an officer in our area has been shot on the job.

“Definitely brings back the night of my shooting, makes me feel guilty that I survived and some of them didn’t and it just makes me realize that how dangerous being a police officer is,” Thadeu said. For now, he is focusing on his family

“My goal is to just be able to take care of my family, whatever that entails, you know whether it’s going back out to the streets or going a different avenue, I just want to make sure I’m still here, still able to take care of my family for you know a long time,” he said.

The man suspected of shooting Thadeu, Antwayne Lowe, remains in Montgomery County Jail. In November Lowe pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. In June a judge said he was competent to stand trial.

Cop takes a Bullet to the Brain while tasing a suspect… pic.twitter.com/2Fq5eKteqL

— Southland Post (@SouthlandPost) March 26, 2023