An Ohio resident surrendered to authorities after confessing to the shooting death of a woman. Brian E. Mason, 58 years old, arrived at the main office of the Miamisburg Police Department on Monday, March 27.
Mason approached a police officer in the parking lot and stated, “I have come to surrender myself,” as shown in the body camera footage initially obtained by WHIOTV7.
He stated that while instructing his friend on firearm use the previous evening at a friend’s residence, there was “an unintentional discharge.” He then confessed, “The weapon discharged and struck her in the torso.”
Mason then acknowledged the presence of a firearm in his vehicle to the Miamisburg police.
He added, “I wouldn’t have come here voluntarily, but I have been so frightened since it happened,” according to the reports.
The sheriff’s office in Miami County, where the incident took place, was notified by the Miamisburg police, a suburb south of Dayton.
Following a journey approximately 25 miles north of Dayton to a property in Union Township, sheriff’s deputies discovered a deceased individual.
The sheriff’s office announced on Facebook on March 28, “Upon the deputies’ arrival, no one answered. Blood was visible inside the residence through a window. Entry was forced, and an adult female was found deceased inside the house with what appeared to be a gunshot wound.”
57-year-old Michelle L. Elliott, a resident of the property in the 11000 block of North Montgomery County Line Road, was subsequently identified by detectives as the victim.
After conversing with Mason, the sheriff’s office indicated: “Mason was taken into custody and transported to the Miami County Jail, where he was detained on a charge of murder.”
A bond of $1 million was set. According to some sources, Mason appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the homicide charge.
The victim was Michelle Elliott, 57 years old. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office will receive her body for an autopsy.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 4, 2023.
