By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The fatal shooting of 53-year-old Michael Decker followed a routine traffic stop on U.S. Route 250 near Eslick Road in Franklin Township, Ohio, on March 30, 2026, that escalated into a multi-agency pursuit, manhunt, and three separate officer-involved shootings.
- Decker, a passenger in the stopped vehicle, exchanged gunfire with a Harrison County Sheriff’s Office deputy before fleeing in the vehicle, prompting Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to join the pursuit.
- After a tire deflation device was deployed on U.S. Route 22 near Hopedale, Decker fired multiple shots at officers, striking a state trooper’s patrol vehicle, before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot into a wooded area.
- Following a nine-hour search involving multiple agencies, Decker was located in woods between Mine Road and Black Road in Green Township; he did not comply with verbal commands issued by the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Aviation Unit, and a third officer-involved shooting occurred as officers attempted to arrest him.
- Decker died from his injuries; Harrison County Sheriff Mark Touville said multiple agencies assisted in the response, including the Cadiz Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, and that there was no continuing threat to the public.
CADIZ, Ohio — A bodycam video released this month provides additional detail on a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred in March following an hours-long, multi-agency manhunt across Harrison County, Ohio, after a routine traffic stop escalated into a shootout, vehicle pursuit, and foot chase into wooded terrain.
According to Harrison County Sheriff Mark Touville, the incident began the afternoon of March 30, 2026, when a sheriff’s office deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Route 250 near Eslick Road in Franklin Township. A passenger in the vehicle, later identified as 53-year-old Michael Decker, exchanged gunfire with the deputy before fleeing the scene in the vehicle. The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to assist, and a pursuit followed.
In an attempt to stop the vehicle, authorities deployed a tire deflation device on U.S. Route 22 near Hopedale. During that deployment, Decker fired multiple shots from a handgun at officers, striking a state trooper’s patrol vehicle. He then abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area along U.S. Route 22.
After an extensive search lasting approximately nine hours and involving multiple law enforcement agencies, Decker was located in a wooded area between Mine Road and Black Road in Green Township. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Aviation Unit issued repeated verbal commands for him to surrender, which were not followed, according to the patrol. As officers attempted to take Decker into custody, a third officer-involved shooting of the incident occurred. Decker succumbed to his injuries.
Sheriff Touville said law enforcement support during the response came from the Cadiz Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, among others. Authorities described Decker as having a violent history and said he had been considered armed and dangerous in the hours before he was located. Officials stated there was no continuing threat to the public following the conclusion of the manhunt. The investigation into the shootings remains subject to standard officer-involved shooting review protocols.