The suspect, identified as Alex Michael Hoskins, was interviewed and has confessed to possession of child pornography as well as sending and receiving pornographic images and videos of children, according to the sheriff’s office. He was booked at 6 p.m. into the Butler County Jail on suspicion of illegal use of a minor in a nudity oriented material or performance and felonious assault, jail records show.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation into the shooting by the deputy.
Sheriff Richard Jones said Hoskins was coming down the steps with a handgun.
“The deputy told him to drop the weapon. He didn’t. The deputy shot him,” Jones said. “You can’t point guns at the police and expect the police to let you shoot them first. It’s a terrible situation.”
Jones said Hoskins suffered an injury that was not life-threatening. He was treated at Kettering Health Hamilton, formerly Fort Hamilton Hospital, and released to the custody of the sheriff’s office.
During his interview with deputies, Hoskins said he believed he was under investigation and prepared for a confrontation by recently purchasing a firearm. The case against Hoskins remains under investigation, and more charges are likely to be presented to a county grand jury for consideration, the sheriff’s office said in a release.
According to radio traffic obtained by the Journal-News, before serving the warrant, the home was under surveillance for nearly an hour. A male was sitting on the front porch and went inside, according to radio traffic.
The warrant was being served by the county sheriff’s detectives and Homeland Security. According to the radio traffic, the residence was being staked out by a deputy as a team rallied at an area hardware store. Surveillance indicated the man had a weapon.
Authorities went to the Jennifer Drive home at 12:27 p.m., according to radio traffic. Shots were fired at 12:32 p.m.
Deputies reported the suspect had been shot in the chest. They began administering first aid, and an ambulance was requested. One deputy asked dispatch to “get that medic to step it up quickly,” according to the radio traffic.
The deputy who shot Hoskins was not identified.
“The officer that was involved in the shooting was involved in another shooting not that long ago, so it’s best for the agency and him that we bring in an outside agency (to investigate) this time,” Jones said.
The deputy will be on paid administrative leave during the BCI’s investigation, which could last up to six weeks, Jones said.
“BCI will do the investigation, but what I’ve been told, it’s a good shoot,” the sheriff said.
A Butler County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Junius Thomas, 31, during an hourslong standoff that began Jan. 11 in the 6800 block of Yoakum Court in the Lakota Pointe Townhomes. Thomas pointed his gun toward SWAT team members, Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said in January.
The deputy in the January shooting was not named but was described as an eight-year veteran of the sheriff’s office. It is not clear whether that deputy is the same one involved in Hoskins’ shooting.
