PO Dominic Francis
Officer: Bluffton Police Department, Police Officer Dominic Francis
Date: 3/31/2022 Location: Bluffton, OH FACTORS (1,2,8,11,14)
Perpetrator(s) Involved: Emin Johnson, Zachary Love, Dante Tate
Criminal Activity History/Involved: Unknown. / Yes, Johnson was driving recklessly and fleeing from the police.
Mental Illness: Unknown.
Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown. / None stated.
Race/Sex/Age: Johnson: Black/Male/20; Love: Black/Male/21; Tate: Black/Male/19
What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 2 a.m. on March 31, 2022, a trooper observed a dark vehicle being driven at a high rate of speed. Unable to catch up with the speeding vehicle, a description was put over the radio to alert adjoining areas and twenty minutes later it was observed by another trooper going southbound on I-75. Anticipating the vehicle’s path, Bluffton PO Dominic Francis stationed himself near an exit further south on I-75 and was deploying stop sticks as the vehicle approached his location at 2:30 a.m.
Actions taken by subject toward police: The driver of that speeding vehicle, Emin Johnson, drove at PO Francis, running him over and killing him. Johnson and the two passengers, Zachary Love and Dante Tate then bailed out of the car and fled on foot. One of them stole a vehicle and drove nearly 100 miles from the scene while the other two went into hiding nearby.
Reactions by the police: An intense multi-jurisdictional manhunt located and arrested all three suspects before the day was over.
How murdered? PO Francis was run over by a driver fleeing police and speeding at over 120 mph.
What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? PO Francis was doing his job and attempting to stop a fleeing vehicle. If there had been more time to prepare, PO Francis could have looked for a spot with better cover or concealment.
Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? Due to the high rate of speed of Johnson’s vehicle, once PO Francis saw it coming at him it would have been too late for him to react and shoot at the driver/engine block.
Outcome for the cop-killer: All three subjects were arrested within 24 hours. Johnson is charged with manslaughter, Love and Tate are charged with failure to comply and receiving stolen property.
