Masontown officer returns as chief after he was shot outside magistrate’s office
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Masontown Police Chief R. Scott Miller returned to his post last week with a promotion. Miller was shot in the hand Sept. 19 when a gunman opened fire at Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock’s office.
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Masontown Police Chief R. Scott Miller returned to his post last week with a promotion. Miller was shot in the hand Sept. 19 when a gunman opened fire at Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock’s office.
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Masontown Police Chief R. Scott Miller discusses his plans as the borough’s new chief, and the shooting that forced him out of work for seven months.
Alyssa Choiniere/For the Observer-Reporter
Masontown Police Chief R. Scott Miller returned to his post last week with a promotion. Miller was shot in the hand Sept. 19 when a gunman opened fire at Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock’s office.
Masontown officer R. Scott Miller returned to his post April 22 as chief, following a seven-month recovery after he was shot engaging a gunman who opened fire into the borough building Sept. 19.
“I walked in the door, and it was just like I was back home, said Miller, a Cumberland Township resident.
Miller was transporting prisoners for preliminary hearings that day when he saw Patrick Dowdell talking with his wife, Crystal Dowdell, outside the building. The woman was leaving Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock’s office after signing a paper saying she would not pursue charges. She reportedly told Dowdell Aug. 25 she wanted a divorce, prompting him to wrap a belt around her neck and say he would kill her and anyone else he had to.
Dowdell shot her and chased her as she fled into the building. As Miller tried to stop the gunman, Dowdell fired multiple shots at him at close range, one hitting the officer in the hand.
Miller thought his finger was gone, but an adrenaline surge masked much of the pain until later. Dozens of people were inside, and Miller helped them escape as Dowdell shot two more people. Other officers also ran toward the gunfire, and German Township Police Cpl. John Lingo shot Dowdell fatally.
All of Dowdell’s victims survived their injuries.
“The whole time I’m thinking this can’t be happening. But you’re still watching it unfold before your eyes. Your instincts from your training kick in and you just do at that point,” he said.
He said police officers ask themselves tough questions before taking an oath to protect and serve the community. Miller remembers asking himself if he could really run toward gunfire and continue his duty even after being shot. After 21 years as a police officer, he said it was affirming to know those answers definitively.
“I’m happy at what I did find out. I’m happy that what I thought I could do as a policeman, what I took the oath I could do, that I was actually able to do it – to do what needed to be done that day,” he said.
Miller said people often tell him he’s lucky to be alive. Dowdell fired multiple shots at close range and only hit him in the hand, while the gunman was able to shoot people who were running.
“That was more than luck. I was being watched over by God on that one. There’s no two ways about it,” he said.
Miller said he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from other officers, the community and others throughout the country. Then-Masontown Police Chief Joe Ryan put a tourniquet on his arm before EMS arrived, and Constable Bobby Smith put him in his vehicle.
A state police trooper escorted the ambulance to a Pittsburgh hospital and stayed with Miller, while another trooper drove his wife to the hospital and stayed with her.
“I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “They were just fantastic in taking care of us.”
He had a flock of visitors at the hospital, including state police Lt. Steve Dowlin, Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower, Masontown Mayor Toni Petrus, Ryan, borough councilmen and others, including a state police chaplain and other support staff. He also received an outpouring of support from Masontown residents and others.
Because officers are typically dealing with people on one of the worst days of their lives, he said police aren’t often thanked for their work.
“It made me appreciate the fact that people are out there who appreciate that the police are there to protect them,” he said.
One of Miller’s goals as chief is to increase the department’s presence as community police.
“No. 1 is for all our officers and myself to be seen and to be involved with the community beyond making an arrest or making a traffic stop, to let them know that we’re there for more than that. That’s one of the things I want to leave this department with,” he said. “I want them to know that this community and this department are one. We’re not somebody coming in. We’re a part of the community just like they are.”
He often tells younger officers to treat the public with respect, even when making an arrest.
“Your actions toward people are going to do one of two things. It’s either going to be a pleasant interaction and then possibly leave a good impression of what you are, or you’re going to leave a bad impression,” he said.
Following surgery to amputate Miller’s damaged finger, he underwent rehabilitation and spent time in the magistrate’s office and with others who were at the shooting.
It’s easy now to talk about most elements of the shooting, he said. One that still has a tendency to choke him up was recognizing the face of a person putting himself at risk to help him.
Xuan Sayles had a court appearance that day for a misdemeanor that was withdrawn. Miller recognized him from prior arrests. But that history was irrelevant to both of them as shots were ringing out.
Miller said he kept yelling at Sayles to get down, but he kept creeping closer anyway.
“He came over and took his shirt off and wrapped it around my hand,” he said. “He didn’t have to come up and do that. He was coming up before we ever knew it was over.”
Miller said he hasn’t seen Sayles since the shooting, but now that he has returned to duty he hopes to pay him a visit and shake his hand.
Between the support of the police brotherhood, the community and Sayles’ actions, Miller said he is returning to his post stronger and with a spark rekindled.
“It reaffirmed my belief that this was my calling to be a policeman, and I was able to be recharged and want to come back and do a good job for these people,” he said.