Dayton police pursue homicide suspect in chase that reached 100 mph before crashing

Dayton police released cruiser cam footage of a pursuit last week that reached speeds of 100 mph and involved a suspect in a deadly shooting.

Around 10 p.m., a Dayton officer saw William Gerald “Gerry” Hefner driving a red pickup truck. Hefner had previously been identified as a suspect in a shooting on June 1 on Centre Street.

The officer started to pursue the truck and the driver drove away. Dash camera footage showed the truck drive through yards and around traffic during the chase. The truck came to a stop against a pole after driving through grass near Salem Avenue and Denlinger Road in Trotwood.

The truck’s speed reached more than 100 mph during the chase, and it ran red lights and stop signs, according to a Dayton Municipal Court affidavit.

On Friday, Hefner was charged with two counts of murder, three counts of felonious assault and one count each of tampering with evidence and failure to comply with the order of a police officer in the death of 48-year-old Matthew Smith of Dayton.

A woman told 911 dispatchers on June 1 that her friend and boyfriend were involved in a shooting in the 100 block of Centre Street. One left in a truck and the other ran away, she said.

A man doing work on Centre Street also called 911 after a man with a gunshot wound came to the front door.

The caller told dispatch it appeared that he was shot in the upper left side of his abdomen.

Dayton Fire Department medics took the man, later identified as Smith, to Miami Valley Hospital. He died later that day from injuries, according to police.