No grand jury charges in fatal police shooting of Ohio man
COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio grand jury today declined to indict two plainclothes officers who fatally shot a man last year they said opened fire on them.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced the decision in the June 2016 shooting death of Henry Green.
Columbus police say the 23-year-old Green, who was black, ignored commands to drop his gun during the shooting.
Green’s family and a friend walking with him say Columbus police didn’t identify themselves when they began yelling at Green.
The officers were members of a $750,000 summer program meant to reduce violence, take illegal guns of the streets and build trust between residents and police.
Witnesses gave conflicting accounts to detectives investigating the shooting, O’Brien said. Those included “how the shooting occurred, who fired the first shot, whether the officers announced their status as police officers,” O’Brien said.
Other discrepancies included whether police badges hanging on the officers’ necks were visible and whether officers acted in self-defense or shot Green “for no apparent lawful purpose.”
Green’s family has demanded an independent investigation.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called for the release of the grand jury proceedings and making the police investigation public as soon as legally possible.
Police Chief Kim Jacobs tweeted that the department will now begin an “administrative process” looking at the case.