MIDDLETOWN — There was no panhandler, there was no shooting in Middletown.
In fact, Middletown police confirmed 36-year-old Ryan Johnson, of Benninghofen Avenue in Hamilton, suffered his gunshot wounds in Dayton. He is now paralyzed from the neck down at University Hospital, police said.
Middletown police Sgt. Dave Burke said the driver of a red Chevrolet HHR, Andrew Branson, 33, also of Hamilton, fabricated the entire story of the shooter being white male in his 40s wearing a white shirt and white cap holding a sign asking for money.
While in Dayton, Branson allegedly entered a house on Main Street for a drug deal as Johnson waited in the car, Winters said.
A few moments later, Branson ran out to the car, saying he stole the drugs, according to police. The duo fled the scene and were chased by a white sport-utility vehicle, from which a shooter fired rounds at Branson’s Chevrolet, according to Middletown police Detective Steve Winters.
“They hopped on the highway after the shooting and went as far away from Dayton as they could,” Burke said. “There was no panhandler, it’s a (completely) false story.”
Johnson was driven to West Chester Hospital, and from there flown to University Hospital, police said.
Burke said Winters is talking with detectives from the Dayton Police Department about the incident.
Branson, who is uninjured, is facing multiple charges, including obstructing, falsification and inducing panic, Burke said.
Middletown police will talk to the prosecutor’s office about charges against Johnson, Burke said.
Police scoured the city early Thursday looking for a suspect based on Branson’s story, but found no one that matched the description of the suspect.
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