COLUMBUS – Top Columbus officials are praising Franklin County prosecutors and members of a grand jury for indicting a former police officer in the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman last year.
A grand jury on Thursday charged Andrew Mitchell with murder and voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Donna Castleberry in August.
Mayor Andrew Ginther is hailing the indictment as proof the city won’t tolerate abuses of power.
Police say officer Mitchell shot and killed 23-year-old Donna Castleberry on August 23, 2018, after she stabbed him in the hand during an undercover prostitution investigation.
I respect the Franklin County Grand Jury decision to indict former officer Mitchell on charges of Murder and Voluntary Manslaughter…Andrew Mitchell’s actions have cast a long shadow over the Columbus Division of Police. I am taking concrete actions to restore the public’s trust. –Chief Tom Quinlan
Mark Collins, Mitchell’s attorney, says his client will plead not guilty, citing an internal Columbus police review that determined the shooting was a proper use of force. The burden on prosecutors is to prove Mitchell wasn’t acting in self-defense, Collins said.
Mitchell was relieved of duty and retired in bad standing in the wake of the incident.
The division’s vice section was also disbanded following the shooting as well as the arrest of adult-film actress Stormy Daniels at a Northeast Side strip club in June on charges that were eventually dropped. The arrest of Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was deemed improper.
Daniels is best known for accusing President Donald Trump of offering her money to stay silent about their romantic affair.