Fairfield man pleads guilty after aiming gun at officer, prompting shooting

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - The man who raised a gun at a Fairfield police officer and was subsequently shot by the officer in early June has now pleaded guilty.

Rodolfo Molina-Hernandez, 36, pleaded guilty to an aggravated menacing charge on Thursday, according to the Butler County court docket. The judge ordered him to serve 180 days in jail followed by five years of probation and must complete substance abuse classes, according to the Butler County court administrator.

The 36-year-old also has to turn his firearm over to police.

Around 3:45 p.m. on June 5, officers were called to Port Union Road near Production Drive to investigate a 911 hang-up call, according to the Fairfield police incident report.

In the 911 call, a voice can be heard saying “you should send the police” and “there’s a guy with a gun” before the call goes silent.

Officer Robert Davis arrived at the scene to find Molina-Hernandez armed and standing in the roadway, the report reads.

Rodolfo Molina-Hernandez, 36, is charged with aggravated menacing following the... — Rodolfo Molina-Hernandez, 36, is charged with aggravated menacing following the officer-involved shooting on June 5, the Fairfield Police Department announced Friday.(Fairfield Police Department)

The officer began talking with Molina-Hernandez, per the incident report.

Molina-Hernandez was told multiple times by Officer Davis to drop the weapon, but he refused, according to the report.

The 36-year-old “assumed a shooting stance” and aimed the gun at Officer Davis, the report says.

Officer Davis then fired his gun several times, hitting Molina-Hernandez, police wrote in the report released Tuesday.

In the radio traffic released Tuesday, Officer Davis says after the shooting that the gun Molina-Hernandez was holding was a “toy.” The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) later confirmed Molina-Hernandez was holding a real gun, not a toy, Fairfield police explained.

The officer made a reference to thinking the gun was a "toy," in the audio released Tuesday.... — The officer made a reference to thinking the gun was a "toy," in the audio released Tuesday. The BCI investigated and confirmed it was a real gun.(Fairfield Police Department)

“Other officers arriving on scene began life-saving measures, called for paramedics and secured the scene,” police said on June 5. “The man was transported to an area hospital where he is in stable condition. No officers were injured during the incident.”

Molina-Hernandez was in the hospital for several days.

A grand jury chose not to indict the officer.

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