COLUMBUS – A grand jury has decided not to charge a Columbus police officer who fatally shot a man who officers say pointed a gun at them on the South Side in February.
The Franklin County prosecutor’s office said Monday that a grand jury reviewed the case last week without issuing an indictment.
Officers in February were called to the intersection of Parsons and Southwood Avenues at 7:59 p.m. Feb. 23 on a report that a man in a white hat, white t-shirt and white pants was sitting in a white Ford Expedition and had just pointed a gun at them. The caller also said the man had an assault rifle and appeared to be intoxicated.
Police say when officers arrived they approached the SUV and saw Jimmie Patton get out of the vehicle and point a gun at one of the officers. They say one officer fired multiple shots, hitting Patton, who died later at Grant Medical Center.
A police spokesman says investigators recovered a rifle and a handgun at the scene.