RELATED: Clark County deputy shoots news photographer during traffic stop
The eight-minute video released Wednesday by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office appears to show Shaw had stopped a vehicle for speeding on Monday night in New Carlisle. He goes back to his cruiser with the man’s license and insurance information.
Then about two minutes later, the video appears to show Shaw opening his car door and almost immediately firing two shots with no noticeable verbal warning.
A man can be heard screaming in the background as Shaw runs toward him. Then it appears Shaw recognizes the man on the ground as New Carlisle News photographer Andy Grimm.
“I need people here now!” he says on the recording. “… Andy, I thought it was a freaking gun, dude!”
Shaw calls for an ambulance while he applies pressure to Grimm’s wound, according to the recording.
“I thought he got out with a gun. It’s not — it’s a camera. He pulled it out like a weapon,” Shaw says to dispatchers.
Grimm repeatedly asks to call his wife and for his camera to go with him to the hospital.
“I love you, I’m sorry brother,” Shaw says. “… You’re going to be all right.”
In the video, Grimm says he tried to signal Shaw when he arrived on scene.
“I thought you saw me wave. I flashed my lights. You weren’t looking. That’s my fault. That’s my fault … I don’t want you to lose your job for this,” Grimm says on the recording.
Grimm was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he had surgery and was released on Tuesday afternoon.
Shaw has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff has referred all questions to the state bureau and declined comment.
Grimm also declined to comment on Wednesday.
Shaw’s personnel record shows he applied to be a cadet with the sheriff’s office in 2012. He was trained as military police for the Ohio National Guard before applying.
He took a leave of absence from his cadet role between March 2013 and February 2014, according to his personnel record, for deployment to Afghanistan.
In 2015, he was appointed a deputy and assigned to the jail. He received good performance reviews from his supervisors, according to the file, but was reprimanded once for unsatisfactory performance. The report says Shaw failed to properly count inmates.
The deputy was transferred to the patrol division on May 30, according to the sheriff’s office. He hasn’t had a performance review since the switch.
Patrick Oliver, an associate professor of criminal justice at Cedarville University, is an expert in law enforcement and use of force. He said during a traffic stop an officer usually experiences a heightened sense of alert.
“A traffic stop is one of the highest risks law enforcement encounters … I think people need to avoid rushing to judgment,” Oliver said. “They need to wait until the investigation is complete.”
The shooting was a shock to John Bradley, who visits New Carlisle often, and was there on Wednesday to do laundry.
“He shouldn’t have pulled his trigger … I think he should be charged with it,” Bradley said. “Pay all of his medical bills, everything.”
RELATED: Body camera released of Ohio news photographer shot by deputy
It makes him nervous for his safety, Bradley said.
“I thought, ‘Well maybe that cop should’ve asked him what he was doing before he shot him,’” he said.
But Bradley said he agrees with Grimm that he doesn’t believe Shaw should lose his job. He should be placed on leave for six months or maybe a year, Bradley said.
Staying with the Story
The Springfield News-Sun first reported the news of a deputy-involved shooting on SpringfieldNewsSun.com on Monday night and will continue to closely track developments in the story, including filing public records requests to obtain videos and personnel records connected with the investigation.
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