No charges for Ohio officer who fatally shot man with gun
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A grand jury in Ohio has decided not to charge a Columbus police officer who fatally shot a man who officers say pointed a gun at them.
The Franklin County prosecutor’s office said Monday that a grand jury reviewed the case last week without issuing an indictment.
Officers in February were called to a neighborhood on a report that a man sitting in an SUV had pointed a gun at someone. The caller also said the man had an assault rifle and appeared to be intoxicated.
Police say when officers arrived they approached the SUV and saw the man get out of the vehicle and point a gun at one of the officers. They say one officer fired multiple shots, hitting the man, identified as Jimmie Patton.
Police: Ambulance fails to show, woman dies day later
EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (AP) — A police officer in eastern Ohio says he and a partner drove a barely breathing woman to a hospital after an ambulance crew that said it was coming didn’t show.
The woman who had suffered a brain aneurysm died the next day at a Pittsburgh hospital.
East Liverpool police officer Jacob Talbott says the 62-year-old woman was found slumped behind the wheel in her SUV on Saturday.
Talbott says two ambulance services said they didn’t have anyone available, and they waited several minutes for a third ambulance that said it was coming.
He says a dispatcher called the third ambulance service back and was told they no longer could make it.
The officer says he’s upset none responded. It’s not clear if the delay impacted the woman’s chances of survival.
Hundreds honor slain officer at vigil; shooting investigated
GIRARD, Ohio (AP) — A candlelight vigil to honor a slain Ohio policeman drew hundreds of people as his death and the killing of the suspected shooter remain under investigation.
Fellow law enforcement officers were among the crowd honoring Girard officer Justin Leo at a high school stadium on Sunday night.
The 31-year-old officer responded to a domestic disturbance Saturday night and was shot as he and another officer approached the door of a home and a suspect opened fire. Leo died during surgery at a hospital.
The suspect was killed by another officer. A radio call for an “officer down” included an officer telling a dispatcher there was a man with several firearms who had been drinking all day.
Authorities haven’t publicly identified the suspect.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating.
Toledo police officers now using body cameras on patrol
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Toledo’s police chief says all patrol officers in Ohio’s fourth-largest city now have body cameras.
Chief George Kral says the city has 304 cameras, enough for all officers in field operations and the motorcycle unit.
The chief says the cameras cost $500 apiece and were bought with a federal grant and capital improvement money.
Kral says the cameras will benefit both citizens and police by having a “fully recorded depiction” of traffic stops and crime investigations. Command officers could get cameras sometime next year.
Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson says body cameras provide transparency and gives residents a chance “to be fully confident” in what police do.
Police cases over 137-shot barrage unsettled 5 years later
CLEVELAND (AP) — Nearly five years after two unarmed black suspects died in a 137-shot barrage of Cleveland police gunfire, five officers fired for their roles are set to return to duty this week after an arbitrator reinstated their jobs.
Discipline and criminal charges against some officers involved in the case remain unsettled.
One of the six patrol officers fired after the high-speed chase and shootings in November 2012 was acquitted on charges but didn’t get his job back.
Misdemeanor charges against five supervisors accused of dereliction of duty remain undecided. Their police union president and a defense attorney say the supervisors have been left in limbo.
Dozens of patrol officers who received lesser discipline for their roles in the chase are waiting to hear whether an arbitrator decides to rescind that discipline.
2 dead after motorcycle collides with vehicle
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Two people have been killed in a motorcycle crash in Ohio.
State troopers say the crash happened around 7 p.m. Sunday on U.S. Route 42 in Greene County. Police say the motorcycle was traveling northbound when it collided with a Dodge Charger attempting to turn onto the highway.
Both the male and female motorcycle riders were killed. Police say the driver of the car was not injured, but a passenger inside the car was hospitalized for minor injuries.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash. No charges have been filed.
Police officer on the run after breaking ankle monitor
CLEVELAND (AP) — A police officer facing charges for the alleged physical and sexual assault of his girlfriend is on the run after police say he broke his GPS ankle monitor.
U.S. Marshals have confirmed they are actively seeking Cleveland Officer Tommie Griffin III.
Griffin was arrested and charged with rape, felonious assault and kidnapping in connection with a domestic violence attack on his 42-year-old girlfriend at their Parma home in January. Police say the man pistol-whipped his girlfriend and fired two shots next to her during the attack.
Griffin, who is in his early 50s, was suspended without pay following his arrest.
Authorities later seized more than 60 guns from his home, including five assault rifles and an Israeli Uzi submachine gun.
An escape warrant has been issued.
