A 23-year-old man who shot two Mifflin Township police officers during a traffic stop in May 2025 and then fired on Franklin County Sheriff's SWAT deputies two days later will spend 78 to 89 years in prison.

Judge Carl Aveni sentenced Daveonte Dixon on Aug. 17, to 67 to 72.5 years for six first-degree felony offenses, including one count of attempted murder and five counts of felonious assault, according to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office. Judge Kim Brown added a consecutive 11 to 16.5 years for a separate 2023 conviction involving aggravated burglary and weapons charges.

The shooting took place on Agler Road in Mifflin Township, which borders Gahanna to the north.

Dixon had pleaded guilty June 1 to all six felonies plus firearm specifications for shooting a police officer, using a firearm, possessing a firearm and a repeat violent offender specification. He faced a maximum of 94 to 99.5 years on the 2025 case alone.

"I just take ownership. I can't change what I've done, but I can at least take ownership and acknowledge my wrong and I hope one day I can be seen as a different person," Dixon said at the sentencing hearing, WOSU reported.

How the shooting unfolded

On May 28, 2025, a Mifflin Township officer spotted a vehicle blocking traffic on Agler Road and initiated a stop. A second officer arrived. Dixon, the front-seat passenger, exited the vehicle, fled on foot, pulled a handgun and shot both officers before escaping.

Both officers were hospitalized and eventually released. Their names have not been made public.

Dixon evaded capture for two days with help from several people. On May 30, 2025, law enforcement located him at a residence on Thelma Drive. When SWAT officers tried to make contact, Dixon fired multiple rounds from a rifle at four deputies outside. When the gunfire stopped, officers entered and found Dixon with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was hospitalized, then jailed upon release.

Officials respond

Mifflin Township interim police Chief Brooke Darnell said the sentence holds Dixon accountable for attacking officers. Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Shayla Favor called Dixon's multiday crime spree against law enforcement reprehensible and said his actions jeopardized Mifflin Township residents' safety by paralyzing police department operations.

Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin thanked law enforcement partners for their work on the case.

Co-defendant sentences

Seven co-defendants pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and were sentenced to three years of community control. Each served jail time ranging from 40 to 180 days. Co-defendant Nathan Brown received eight years in prison after also pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance and unlawful transactions in weapons.

Two remaining co-defendants, Latoya Birdsong and Jayla Call, are scheduled for trial beginning Oct. 26.