***UPDATE***
DARKE COUNTY – As a result of further investigation and information released by Darke County Coroner Dr. Susan Brown, Darke County Sheriff Mark Whittaker provides the following updated information on yesterday’s shooting incident.
The investigation and evidence support that sometime yesterday, Josiah “Joe” Maloon (57) of 2535 SR 571 Greenville, brutally beat and shot his wife, Juanita Maloon (53) of the same address. The Darke County Coroner’s Office has ruled Juanita’s death as a homicide due to a gunshot wound to the head.
At approximately 2:15 pm Thursday, Randy Ward II (47) of Ansonia arrived at 2535 SR 571, at the request of Joe Maloon, for the purpose of a transaction. According to Ward, when he pulled into the drive, he obtained cash from Joe Maloon’s vehicle as instructed and that is when Joe Maloon exited his house and started shooting multiple rounds at him.
Ward ran to his vehicle to flee the scene and was shot several times. Ward left the scene in his Dodge Challenger while being chased by Joe Maloon in a Nissan Pathfinder SUV. Maloon was shooting at Ward while chasing him and ramming him with his SUV. The vehicles crashed into opposite fields. Maloon died at the scene as a result of his injuries from the crash. Ward is still being treated for multiple gunshot wounds at Miami Valley Hospital.
A handgun was recovered near Joe Maloon at the crash scene, and the firearm appears to be similar to the caliber believed to be used on his wife and Randy Ward, however, further forensic examination will be necessary to confirm this.
Shell casings and a white powdery substance in the packaging were located in the driveway of 2535 SR 571 in the area where Ward reported the shooting started. Forensic testing will be needed to identify and confirm these findings.
This investigation is still ongoing, but the results thus far show that Joe Maloon was the primary threat in these cases and that threat no longer exists.
***ORIGINAL***
DARKE COUNTY – Darke County Sheriff Mark Whittaker reports that his office is investigating a shooting incident that started at a residence on the 2500 block of SR 571, west of Greenville, before ending in two vehicles crashing into a field on the 9600 block of Coletown-Lightsville Road on Thursday afternoon.
At approximately 2:23 pm, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a subject reporting he had been shot by a friend at a residence in the 2500 block of SR 571. The adult male victim reported he was being chased and shot at by the suspect in a vehicle while traveling northbound on Coletown-Lightsville Road. Darke County Deputies and Union City Police Officers responded to the area for a shooting incident in progress.
The suspect rammed the victim’s vehicle multiple times, eventually causing both vehicles to crash out into a field. The suspect rolled his SUV multiple times and was ejected from the vehicle. Union City Police Officers arrived on the scene soon after the crash and called for Union City Fire & EMS and Careflight to respond. The suspect was found unconscious and not breathing in the field. Union City Fire/EMS declared the adult male shooting suspect dead at the scene.
The victim who was being chased and shot was treated by Union City Fire & EMS at the scene and was transported by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
Deputies responded simultaneously to the suspect’s residence in the 2500 block of SR 571, where the shooting had started. Officers searched the residence and discovered an adult female deceased inside.
This case is being investigated as a homicide pending determination by the Darke County Coroner.
Darke County Deputies, Detectives and Darke County Coroner’s Investigator are actively investigating both scenes at the time of this release.
Preliminary information suggests that both scenes are connected. While it is early in the investigation, the Sheriff said there should be no further active threat to the public.
Darke County Sheriff Mark Whittaker would like to thank the Union City Police Officers and Fire/EMS units who rapidly responded to assist the Darke County Deputies during a dangerous and rapidly evolving scene.
No other citizens were injured because of this incident.
