Topline: A federal grand jury indicted Dayton fugitive Terrence Gay on charges alleging he fired at federal officers who came to arrest him after years on the run.
Published: April 15, 2026 2:30 pm ET
Shawn Fletcher
Committed to the craft of journalism and am driven by my desire to inform and inspire.
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Terrence Gay. Montgomery County Jail.
DAYTON, Ohio — A Dayton man who authorities say spent years as a fugitive has now been indicted on accusations that he opened fire on federal officers who came to arrest him at his home, turning a long-running absconder case into an attempted murder prosecution.
The indictment charges Terrence Gay, 41, with attempted murder of federal officers, assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, a federal grand jury in Dayton returned the indictment after officers with the Southern District of Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team went to Gay’s Dayton home on March 19 to take him into custody and he allegedly fired shots at them.
Federal authorities said Gay had been a fugitive since September 2021, when he failed to appear to begin serving a federal prison sentence in Missouri tied to fentanyl crimes. Prosecutors said he had been a fugitive in Missouri for approximately five years before officers tracked him to Dayton.
Authorities said the confrontation began when fugitive apprehension officers arrived at the house to arrest Gay. In public descriptions of the case released after the shooting, federal authorities said he allegedly fired about a dozen rounds at law enforcement officers during the attempted arrest.
The new indictment elevates the case from the initial criminal complaint filed after the March arrest attempt and moves it formally into grand jury-backed federal prosecution. The charges now pending against Gay include both violent crime counts tied to the shooting allegations and a weapons possession count tied to his status as a convicted felon.
No injuries to officers were described in the federal release announcing the indictment. The case remains pending in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Terrence Gay Indicted in Dayton on Attempted Murder Charges in Shooting at Federal Officers
A federal grand jury indicted Dayton fugitive Terrence Gay on charges alleging he fired at federal officers who came to arrest him after years on the run.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: April 15, 2026 2:30 pm ET
Terrence Gay. Montgomery County Jail.
DAYTON, Ohio — A Dayton man who authorities say spent years as a fugitive has now been indicted on accusations that he opened fire on federal officers who came to arrest him at his home, turning a long-running absconder case into an attempted murder prosecution.
The indictment charges Terrence Gay, 41, with attempted murder of federal officers, assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, a federal grand jury in Dayton returned the indictment after officers with the Southern District of Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team went to Gay’s Dayton home on March 19 to take him into custody and he allegedly fired shots at them.
Federal authorities said Gay had been a fugitive since September 2021, when he failed to appear to begin serving a federal prison sentence in Missouri tied to fentanyl crimes. Prosecutors said he had been a fugitive in Missouri for approximately five years before officers tracked him to Dayton.
Authorities said the confrontation began when fugitive apprehension officers arrived at the house to arrest Gay. In public descriptions of the case released after the shooting, federal authorities said he allegedly fired about a dozen rounds at law enforcement officers during the attempted arrest.
The new indictment elevates the case from the initial criminal complaint filed after the March arrest attempt and moves it formally into grand jury-backed federal prosecution. The charges now pending against Gay include both violent crime counts tied to the shooting allegations and a weapons possession count tied to his status as a convicted felon.
No injuries to officers were described in the federal release announcing the indictment. The case remains pending in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Terrence Gay Indicted in Dayton on Attempted Murder Charges in Shooting at Federal Officers
A federal grand jury indicted Dayton fugitive Terrence Gay on charges alleging he fired at federal officers who came to arrest him after years on the run.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: April 15, 2026 2:30 pm ET
Terrence Gay. Montgomery County Jail.
DAYTON, Ohio — A Dayton man who authorities say spent years as a fugitive has now been indicted on accusations that he opened fire on federal officers who came to arrest him at his home, turning a long-running absconder case into an attempted murder prosecution.
The indictment charges Terrence Gay, 41, with attempted murder of federal officers, assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, a federal grand jury in Dayton returned the indictment after officers with the Southern District of Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team went to Gay’s Dayton home on March 19 to take him into custody and he allegedly fired shots at them.
Federal authorities said Gay had been a fugitive since September 2021, when he failed to appear to begin serving a federal prison sentence in Missouri tied to fentanyl crimes. Prosecutors said he had been a fugitive in Missouri for approximately five years before officers tracked him to Dayton.
Authorities said the confrontation began when fugitive apprehension officers arrived at the house to arrest Gay. In public descriptions of the case released after the shooting, federal authorities said he allegedly fired about a dozen rounds at law enforcement officers during the attempted arrest.
The new indictment elevates the case from the initial criminal complaint filed after the March arrest attempt and moves it formally into grand jury-backed federal prosecution. The charges now pending against Gay include both violent crime counts tied to the shooting allegations and a weapons possession count tied to his status as a convicted felon.
No injuries to officers were described in the federal release announcing the indictment. The case remains pending in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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