Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has tracked developments in the deputy-involved shooting since it occurred last month, including stories digging into surveillance video of that night and charges filed against a woman accused of lying to investigators.
A Clark County grand jury has cleared a deputy who shot a Springfield man last month, declining to press criminal charges.
The grand jury found the actions of Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Doolin justified after considering witness testimony, the evidence presented and additional reports in the case file, according to court documents.
Terrence Victoria was shot several times by Doolin on March 20 and seriously injured. Deputies investigating a report of a man with a gun at the Horseshoe Sports Bar in Springfield Twp. said Victoria pointed a handgun at them from his vehicle.
“We find the actions of Terrence Victoria towards Deputy Christopher Doolin presented the imminent threat of serious physical harm or death,” the grand jury’s decision says.
Doolin and Deputy Nicholas Anderson, who was at the bar but didn’t fire his weapon, were placed on paid leave following the incident, which is being looked at by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
They both remain on leave, according to Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.
“The grand jury found reasonable force was justified. They will be back to work as soon as they are cleared for duty,” Kelly said.
He has spoken with Victoria’s mother several times since the shooting, Kelly said, and has been told the 29-year-old man is out of the hospital. Victoria couldn’t be reached for comment on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office has turned the entire investigation over to BCI so Kelly said he couldn’t comment on the outcome, but he expressed his support for his deputies.
“I have great confidence in the people that I hire,” he said. “I believe in our training and how we’ve equipped our deputies. It’s a split-second decision that we have to make and we hope to never have to make it again.”
The grand jury’s decision came just hours after dozens of fires were set amid unrest in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.
No community backlash has occurred over the Clark County incident, in which the deputy is white and the man shot is black, according to Springfield NAACP President Denise Williams.
She has appreciated open communication about the investigation, Williams said, including a call from Clark County Prosecutor Andrew Wilson early Tuesday morning to inform her of the grand jury’s decision.
Wilson has also offered to sit down with the NAACP, Williams said, and go through the investigation step by step to address any concerns.
“We have faith in our system here in Springfield,” she said.
BCI’s investigation into the shooting remains open and the state agency declined to provide additional information on Tuesday. Wilson said he anticipates criminal charges may be filed against Victoria.
A charge of having weapons under disability was initially filed in Clark County Municipal Court on April 1, but was dismissed as Victoria remained hospitalized.
Victoria has prior felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing a firearm. He denied having a gun in an interview with the Springfield News-Sun earlier this month, but investigators say one was found on his lap following the shooting.
“I don’t play with guns. I fight,” Victoria said from his hospital bed in Miami Valley Hospital earlier this month.
Lynne Marie Rinehart, 18, who was with him in the car that night, is awaiting trial on a charge of obstructing justice after allegedly lying to detectives. She first said Victoria never had a gun, but later changed her story.
Several witnesses reported seeing a weapon and Kelly called the grand jury’s report “self-explanatory.”
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