PIQUA – The Piqua Police Department reports that an officer was involved in a shooting at about 4:55 p.m. Friday, February 21 at 236 McKinley Ave. in Piqua.
Four officers responded to a call of a disturbance, which was a domestic violence complaint received at 4:44 p.m. The suspect, David C. West (44) of Piqua, was at home with his father and his mother and allegedly assaulted his 65-year-old mother, who suffered injuries from the incident.
When officers arrived, West was in the basement of the residence. West reported to officers located at the top of the stairs that he had a pistol and refused to come upstairs or show his hands after several verbal commands to do so. When West became visible to the officers with a weapon pointed at them, Lt. Marcos Rodriguez fired.
West died on the scene. Lt. Rodriguez was not injured in the incident. West was the assailant in the domestic violence incident; no criminal charges will be filed.
At the Piqua Police Department’s request, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (Ohio BCI) is conducting an investigation of the incident.
Lt. Rodriguez has been placed on paid administrative leave until the Ohio BCI’s investigation is concluded and it has been determined that he is cleared to return to active duty. Paid administrative leave is the Piqua Police Department’s standard procedure in incidents of this nature and not an indication of wrongdoing. The other three officers present at the scene remain on active duty.
The Piqua Police Department reports that there is no ongoing threat to the community. The last officer-involved shooting for the department was in July 2024, and there were no injuries resulting from the incident. The most recent fatal officer-involved shooting for the department was in July 1988.
There will be no further updates until Ohio BCI completes its investigation.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to call Piqua Police Department at 937-778-2027.
