A Butler County grand jury found two police shootings in Middletown and West Chester to be justified, according to county prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
On June 16, jurors returned no indictments against the Middletown officers who wounded a 22-year-old in an April “running gun battle” and the West Chester officer who fatally shot a 40-year-old who was holding a woman captive earlier this month.
In April, Middletown officers encountered Donald Madden on outstanding warrants and brandishing a gun on police the day before, officials said. Police say Madden fired at officers, who then returned fire and struck him. Madden survived the shooting and faces several charges, including attempted aggravated murder. No officers were injured.
Then, in early June, West Chester police responded to an apartment complex after a neighbor reported a woman was screaming for help. Officers found Lorenzo Miller holding a kitchen knife to a woman’s throat. One officer fired a fatal shot to Miller’s head, freeing the woman, Gmoser said.
“The reason Lorenzo Miller chose the path to his own destruction is unknown,” Gmoser said. “But what is known is that he was a convicted murderer on parole for having weapons under disability and learned nothing from his involvement with the legal system.”
Both shootings were investigated by Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation by the request of the respective police departments, Gmoser said in a news release.
BCI publishes the findings of its investigations into police shootings on its website, but on June 16, neither investigation had been posted.
Gmoser brings police shooting cases to grand jury to decide upon charges, while many other Ohio county prosecutors instead make a decision themselves based on an investigation.
“In such cases, no one is held to a different standard by reason of any position, and public trust is enhanced by such transparency,” Gmoser said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Grand jury finds Middletown, West Chester police shootings justified
Reporting by David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
