A Greene County grand jury has decided not to indict an officer involved in the July death of Yellow Springs resident Paul E. Schenck who was shot and killed in a standoff with police in late July.
The grand jury reviewed the testimony of six witnesses and then determined that the use of deadly force was appropriate in the case.
This follows a report released in November by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office. The report found that Schenck fired 191 shots at officers before he was killed by a SWAT team member, James Hughes. According to the report, police fired four shots during the standoff.
DeWine turned the case over to the Greene County Prosecutor's Office in November, and it was presented to a grand jury in late December. On December 30, the grand jury came to a conclusion that it would not indict Hughes for the use of deadly force.
Schenck’s family members have spoken out, saying that police errors during the standoff resulted in his death and more could have been done to protect him. Schenck had a history of mental illness and alcohol addiction.
Officers were first called to the home on a report of a domestic dispute between Schenck and his son. Over 60 police units from the region responded to the scene, which ended in Schenck's death after the 6-hour standoff.