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Officer who shot robbery suspect returns to duty
YOUNGSTOWN
A police officer who killed a would-be robber is back on the force.
An internal-affairs division investigation determined Patrolman Michael Walker followed proper police procedures during the April 9 armed robbery, Police Chief Jimmy Hughes said.
Walker returned to work Friday after the investigation, Hughes said.
Walker and his family are undergoing counseling, and the counselor told department officials that the officer was ready to return to active duty, Hughes said.
Walker was working off-duty security at Galaxy Seafood on Belmont Avenue when he shot Warren V. Wright, 32, of Youngstown, who was armed and trying to rob the business, police said.
Also on Friday, police arrested and charged Nathaniel Dumas, 35, and James Thomas, 50, both of Youngstown, with aggravated robbery.
Dumas also was charged with aggravated murder. Both men are in Mahoning County jail.
The two planned the robbery with Wright, Hughes said.
Police said Dumas was the getaway driver.
Because he is accused of committing a felony tied to Wright’s death, he is charged with aggravated murder, Hughes said. He declined to say why Thomas doesn’t face the same charge.
“We took the totality of it, and we came up with the charges,” Hughes said. Thomas was “not as involved in certain ways.”