Twelve shots were fired in quick succession during a fatal police shootout with a wrong-way driver in early April, according to newly disclosed body camera footage.
In the video, an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper and Union Township police officers are seen surrounding a red Ford SUV that has become stuck against the interstate’s concrete barrier by a trooper’s squad car. The trooper intentionally smashed his cruiser into the SUV to stop 34-year-old Kelsey Hildal, who was going north in the interstate’s southbound lanes around 11 p.m., according to highway patrol.
A trooper, who is heard in the video suggesting Hildal had a pistol, demands numerous times for her to raise her hands. Then, as Union Township officers arrive and approach the automobile, 12 rounds are fired in rapid succession.
The tape, which The Enquirer obtained through a public documents request, was captured by four Union Township cops on the scene of the April 1 shooting. Officers and troopers had attempted to stop Hildal after receiving a call about someone driving on the wrong side of the roadway that night. After the trooper intentionally crashed his cruiser, Union Township officers quickly arrived and joined the scene before bullets were discharged.
Fifteen seconds pass. A Union Township police asks the trooper if he is okay.
“Yeah, I’m clear,” he responds, still pointing his gun at Hildal and again asking her to show her hands.
“She’s got a gun in her hand,” another officer yells as another shot is fired.
“Stop moving,” the trooper yells out.
It remains unclear who fired the rounds. The state Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which was asked by the highway patrol to investigate the shooting, declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation. Later in the video, officers claim the trooper and woman traded bullets with one other.
As the video continues, the trooper stands next to his cruiser and shouts out to Hildal, as another officer reports that she is unresponsive. Officers approach the automobile and decide to pull the cruiser away so they can access the woman’s car door, which is blocked by the cruiser.
As they reverse the cruiser, Hildal’s SUV, still in gear, moves forward. An officer shoots several shots at the tires without warning. Officers allowed the automobile to go forward, and it collided with the concrete barrier on the opposite side of the roadway.
Two dogs are spotted in the car as cops attempt to enter to retrieve Hildal. As they start to remove her body from the car, one of them leaps out. They begin chest compressions, and emergency responders arrive, but Hildal died from her injuries on the scene, according to officials.
The Blue Ash woman is seen wearing what seems to be a black tactical vest, maybe bulletproof, with a helmet nearby.
