LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — A man has entered a not guilty plea to charges stemming from an Oct. 31 shootout with Lima police officers that left both he and Officer Bryce Metz injured.
Emerson Jeffrey was arraigned on new charges handed down by a special Allen County grand jury. He is facing four counts of felonious assault, with specifications of shooting at police officers and shooting from a vehicle. He also faces charges of discharging a firearm over a roadway and additional gun-related offenses. If convicted on all counts and given the maximum sentences, Jeffrey could face more than 120 years in prison.
According to the Lima Police Department and video they released from the incident, the vehicle Jeffrey was in had been pulled over during a traffic stop the night of Oct. 31. Metz and other officers approached the vehicle when Jeffrey fired a .45-caliber handgun at Metz and the other officers, who returned fire. Both Metz and Jeffrey suffered gunshot injuries.
The Ohio Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident. Metz was released from the hospital a few days later. Jeffrey's bond is set at $2.5 million. He is currently being held in the Allen County Jail after being released from the hospital about two weeks after the incident.
