By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Ohio Attorney General’s Office released an incident report and body camera footage detailing a June 4 officer-involved shooting in West Chester, Ohio.
- The shooting occurred after a neighbor called 911 to report a fight and a possible fall down a stairway at the home.
- Officers forced entry after the man inside refused to let them see the woman and the woman texted an officer that she needed help.
- A West Chester officer fired a single shot after the suspect pulled the injured woman to the ground while holding a knife to her neck; the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
- The Ohio Attorney General’s Office found the shooting legally justified; the woman was hospitalized with multiple injuries.
WEST CHESTER, Ohio — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has released an incident report and body camera video detailing a June 4 officer-involved shooting in which a West Chester police officer fatally shot a man who was holding a woman at knifepoint.
The incident began when a neighbor called 911 to report an audible fight at the home and a possible fall down a stairway. Body camera footage shows West Chester officers arriving and knocking on the door, where a man told them no one was in danger and described the disturbance as an argument.
An officer reached the woman by phone and continued speaking with the man through the door. After the officer reported hearing sounds of pain from the woman, she texted him that she needed help. Officers then forced their way into the home and moved upstairs toward the two.
“Don’t rush in here … I’ve got a knife to her neck,” the man can be heard saying on body camera video. As an officer pushed the door open, the man pulled the woman away from the door and to the ground. The officer then fired a single shot, striking and incapacitating him.
The man was declared dead at the scene. The woman was hospitalized with numerous injuries. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office determined the officers involved were legally justified in the shooting.