FAIRFIELD, Ohio — A man shot by a Fairfield police officer on June 5 was arrested and charged on Thursday after his release from the hospital, according to the Fairfield Police Department.
Rodolfo Molina-Hernandez, 36, was in the hospital after Officer Nick Davis shot him in the 3300 block of Port Union Road June 5. Molina-Hernandez has now been charged with aggravated menacing. He was also served with an outstanding contempt of court warrant.
Molina-Hernandez is currently being held in the Butler County Jail and will appear in court on Monday.
Police said Davis shot Molina-Hernandez while responding to a 911 hang-up. Police said officers were dispatched to Port Union Road after someone called 911 and said "there's a guy with a gun" and "send the police." When officers arrived, an incident report said Davis found Molina-Hernandez standing in the road.
According to the report, Davis attempted to talk to Molina-Hernandez and noticed a gun in his hand. He then ordered Molina-Hernandez to drop the gun multiple times. Davis fired several rounds after he said Molina-Hernandez pointed the gun at him.
Molina-Hernandez was hit and other officers arrived to provide medical services. No one else was hurt.
Davis is heard calling the gun a "toy gun" in radio traffic after the shooting.
"Apparently it was just a toy gun, but he was pointing it at me," Davis said.
In a media release, police said Davis believed the gun was real during the incident. Afterward, he called it a toy. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations confirmed it was a real firearm during its investigation.
Davis was hired by the Fairfield Police Department in October 2021, completing the field training officer program in January 2022. He is on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Police said Davis was wearing a body camera, and said the footage will be released at a later date.
