On February 22, 2023, Dameka Ross, a 22-year-old woman from Trotwood, Ohio, was tragically killed in a shooting incident in Dayton. The incident also resulted in injuries to a 28-year-old man. The Dayton Police Department became aware of the situation when they were called to Kettering Health Dayton after the injured man arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound.
While investigating at the hospital, law enforcement learned of a second victim located on state Route 49 near Little Richmond Road. Trotwood police responded to this location and discovered Dameka Ross deceased inside a vehicle. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office later officially identified the deceased as Dameka Ross.
In connection with this incident, Steven Lamar Miller, a 34-year-old man from Dayton, was arrested and charged. Miller faced multiple charges, including two counts of murder and four counts of felonious assault. The case went to trial, with Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven K. Dankof presiding over a bench trial that began on September 30, 2024.
On October 22, 2024, Judge Dankof delivered a verdict in the case. Miller was found not guilty of the two counts of murder and four counts of felonious assault. However, he was found guilty of having weapons while under disability. The judge noted in his verdict that the state failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Miller was the shooter.
Despite Miller's acquittal on the murder and assault charges, he did not walk free. On October 31, 2024, Judge Dankof sentenced Miller to the maximum of three years in prison for the weapons charge. This charge stemmed from Miller being prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous 2009 aggravated robbery conviction.
The case presented several complexities, including conflicting witness testimonies and DNA evidence that did not conclusively link Miller to the shooting. The judge noted that a cigarette butt found at the scene contained DNA from the injured man and an unknown male, but Miller's DNA was not present. Additionally, there were discrepancies in the identification of the shooter, with one witness describing someone whose appearance matched a friend of the injured man rather than Miller.
