Grand jury says no charges for officers in fatal St. Ann's ER shootout with armed suspect
A Franklin County grand jury declined to charge two Columbus police officers involved in a deadly exchange of gunfire with an armed suspect last year in an emergency room at Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital in Westerville.
The grand jury reached its "no bill" decision Wednesday in the shooting death of Miles Jackson, 27, of the Northwest Side, but it was not announced by the Franklin County Prosecutor's office until Friday.
On April 12, 2021, Jackson was found lying unresponsive outside in a parking lot at a Chase bank branch in Westerville. Westerville police and paramedics responded to the scene. Westerville officers partially patted down Jackson, but did not find a handgun that was in the pocket of his pants.
Watch (viewer discretion advised):Video: Bodycam footage shows police shooting at St. Ann's that killed Miles Jackson
Jackson was taken to the emergency department at St. Ann's hospital in Westerville. Columbus police were called there because Westerville police learned they had outstanding arrest warrants for Jackson.
When Columbus police officers Andrew Howe and Ryan Krichbaum arrived, they began doing their own pat-down search of Jackson inside a room in the hospital's emergency department. According to the prosecutor's office, that's when Jackson fired a shot from the handgun that was in his pants pocket, causing one of the officers to fire back and the other to retreat out of the room.
Timeline:Minute-by-minute: What happened inside St. Ann's in fatal shooting of Miles Jackson
Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including St. Ann's security, responded. For nearly five minutes law enforcement officers gave more than 90 commands for Jackson to put his hands up and put down the firearm. Prosecutors said an officer used a stun gun on Jackson in an attempt to gain control of the situation, but Jackson then fired again. Officers returned fire, striking Jackson multiple times.
At least two Columbus police officers and one hospital security officer fired their weapons in the shooting.
An autopsy report showed Jackson was struck 20 times.
The prosecutor's office said in a release that a loaded firearm was found under Jackson in the hospital room and that ballistics testing showed three casings matching Jackson's handgun were found inside the room, indicating Jackson fired three times.
No officers were injured in the shooting, though one bullet went through the sleeve of a Columbus police officer's uniform, the prosecutor's office said.
Previous coverage:AG Yost sends Miles Jackson shooting case to Franklin County prosecutor for review
Jackson's autopsy report showed fentanyl and norfentanyl in his system at the time of his death. The investigation, which was handled by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, showed Jackson had been taken to St. Ann's hospital about an hour before he was found in the bank parking lot after being found unresponsive and treated with Narcan.
Jackson then left the hospital, against medical advice, before paramedics were called again because he was found unresponsive in the bank parking lot.
The Ohio BCI investigation was turned over to the Franklin County Prosecutor's office in August 2021, but was not presented to the grand jury until this week. The grand jury reviewed "whether any degree of unlawful criminal homicide occurred," according to the prosecutor's office, but determined no criminal charges were warranted in the case.
At the time of his death, Jackson, who had been a multi-sport athlete, was employed by the People Ready Corporation and was pursuing completion of his high school diploma, according to his obituary with the Marlan Gary Funeral Home Chapel of Peace. He was survived by his longtime girlfriend, Jazmine Washington, with whom he had three children and shared her two others; his father and stepmother, six brothers, three sisters and other family members.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Grand jury says no charges for officers in fatal St. Ann's ER shooting
