Curt Sims, Jr., a 19-year-old man, died after he was shot in Dayton, Ohio, on the night of August 16, 2026. The fatal encounter unfolded near the intersection of McCabe and Groveland avenues, where residents encountered a disturbing scene shortly before 9 p.m. A woman called 911 after seeing someone lying in the roadway and told the dispatcher that the person appeared to be dying.
Another person who could be heard during the call said the victim was lying face down, bleeding and unresponsive.
Dayton police officers reached the intersection within approximately three minutes of the emergency call. According to Dayton Police Lieutenant Eric Sheldon, officers found Sims in the middle of the street suffering from a gunshot wound. Police and medical personnel immediately began providing first aid, continuing their efforts as he was transported from the scene to a local hospital. Despite those efforts, Sims died from his injuries.
The shooting left investigators with a substantial crime scene to examine. The area around McCabe and Groveland avenues was closed off with crime-scene tape while officers searched for evidence and documented the roadway. A television news crew at the scene observed more than 20 evidence markers placed on the ground. Police also reported recovering several items they considered evidence, although authorities have not publicly described those items or explained whether they included shell casings, firearms, personal property or other material connected to the shooting.
At the time Sims was initially discovered, witnesses apparently did not know exactly what had happened to him. One of the people speaking during the 911 call said he could not see an obvious bullet wound and questioned whether Sims might have been struck by something. Police subsequently determined that he had been shot, turning what began as a report of an injured person lying in the roadway into a homicide investigation.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office publicly identified the victim as Curt Sims, Jr. on August 18. Investigators have not released details explaining where Sims was when the confrontation began, whether he was shot at the intersection or somewhere nearby before ending up in the roadway, how many times he was shot, or what may have motivated the attack. Authorities have also not publicly described any vehicle believed to have been involved or said whether investigators recovered surveillance footage from homes or businesses in the area.
As of the most recent publicly available reporting, Dayton police had not announced the identity of a suspect, named a person of interest or reported an arrest in connection with Sims' death. No criminal charges, court proceedings, trial or conviction have therefore been reported in the homicide. The Dayton Police Department’s Homicide Unit continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting and is working to determine what happened before Sims was found critically wounded in the intersection.
