Dossie Washington Obituary, Death;- The man who died in a house fire during a SWAT standoff Monday has been identified. Dossie Washington, 64, died in the fire on Harkness Avenue, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.
Cincinnati police said Monday they were called around 5 p.m. to the home in connection with a man wanted for outstanding warrants. Police spokesman Sgt. Anthony Mitchell said officers tried several times to get the person to come out of the house, and the person refused.
According to District Fire Chief Gregory Martin, Cincinnati Fire units were called to the home to help SWAT in the standoff. The person barricaded themselves inside the home, and a short time later, smoke could be seen, the district fire chief said. “He was threatening them with shooting, so he had a weapon,” witness Davina Jackson said. She goes on to say that the person was arguing with police, saying he did not want to go to jail, when things turned chaotic.
Firefighters say they had to extinguish the fire from the street above because they were told there was an armed suspect inside the home. It is unclear if the person died before or after the fire occurred. “Next thing you know, he goes back in the house and a few minutes later we see the house catching on fire,” Jackson explained.
Once firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the 1-story single-family home. The home eventually was fully engulfed, firefighters said. District fire chief Martin says that once the fire was under control, a victim, believed to be the original person of interest, was located inside. That person was identified Tuesday as Washington, the coroner’s report shows.
