Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon held a press conference for media representatives in the conference room of the sheriff’s office following the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s announcement at the Richland County Courthouse on Friday, Nov. 21 that no charges would be pressed in the shootind death of Lexington resident Brian Garber.
“The loss of life is always a tragedy,” Sheldon said. “This incident has been an emotional event for the community and the sheriff’s office.”
“The sheriff’s office understands the community’s interest in this investigation and their frustration in having to wait for answers. However, the sheriff’s office must respect the integrity of the investigation,” he said.
The sheriff’s office also issued the following release of his remarks (unedited by Richland Source) on Friday:
The loss of life is always a tragedy. This incident has been an emotional event for the community and the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank BCI, the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office and the Cuyahoga County’s Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance in this matter.
On March 16, 2014 at 7:10 p.m. deputies were called to 3425 Mill Run Road, Lexington, OH in response to a domestic dispute. Sara Knowlton, wife of Brian Garber, and Brian’s mother, Connie Garber, told deputies they had been physically assaulted by Brian Garber. Brian Garber left the area on foot prior to the deputies’ arrival. A check of the area was done, he could not be located.
At 8:17 p.m. Sara Knowlton called 911 and advised that her husband had a gun and was now across the street at his parent’s residence, 3400 Mill Run Road. Upon arriving at 3400 Mill Run Road Sgt. Nicholson, Deputy Frazier, Deputy Knee and Lieutenant Zehner entered the residence and Matthew Garber directed them to the upstairs bedroom. Upon reaching the bedroom, the deputies spoke to Brian Garber and tried to convince to surrender and drop his perceived weapon. Shots were fired. Sgt. Nicholson, Deputy Frazier and Deputy Knee all fired their weapons.
At approximately 8:24 p.m., Lt. Zehner reported to dispatch that shots were fired. Lt. Zehner requested a squad and requested Major Masi be called to the scene. Upon receiving notification from dispatch, Major Masi immediately directed BCI to be called and the crime scene and investigation were immediately turned over to them. This was done to ensure that a full, fair and unbiased investigation would be completed by an independent agency. On my way to the scene, I contacted the Chaplin for the Sheriff’s Office so that he could meet with the deputies and the Garber family. BCI contacted the coroner.
BCI conducted an independent investigation of this shooting. The results of their investigation were forwarded to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for review. The Richland County Prosecutor’s Office had requested that a Special Prosecutor be appointed to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest.
The Sheriff’s office has not commented on this matter up to this point to ensure the integrity of BCI’s process. Additionally the names of the officers involved had not been revealed pursuant to BCI’s policy to not release the names of officers involved in shootings while an investigation is ongoing. The Sheriff’s Office understands the community’s interest in this investigation and their frustration in having to wait for answers. However, the Sheriff’s office must respect the integrity of the investigation. Today the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office announced that the Grand Jury has cleared the deputies of any wrongdoing.
Our deputies were involved in a high-risk dangerous situation that required split second decisions. The deputies tried to reason with Brian Garber that evening, their intent was not to take his life. Deputies handle hundreds of calls yearly, some of the calls are violent, and some involve firearms or the severely mentally ill. The deputies must rely on their training and experience when responding to these calls.
Our hope is to always keep our deputies safe, protect the public and handle each situation in a manner that results in no one getting hurt. As the finding of the Grand Jury has shown our deputies relied on their training and acted appropriately.