ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - Information about the independent investigation into the June deputy-involved fatal shooting of a suspect who ran during a traffic stop was released.
Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia and officials from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation talked about the June incident involving Deputy Izak Ackerman and Quincy Pritchett. Last week, a grand jury found that Ackerman was justified in the shooting of Pritchett.
According to the Allen County Sheriff, early in the morning of June 21st, Ackerman was attempting to pull Pritchett over because he was eluding Ackerman while driving on the south side of Lima. When Ackerman turned on his lights, Pritchett drove off, running stop signs and the car chase ended at a vacant lot, where Pritchett started running with Ackerman following.
“And then in physical struggle on the ground, Mr. Pritchett pulled a firearm from this waistband during the struggle and fired at least one-shot striking Deputy Ackerman in the face,” says Sheriff Treglia. “Then Deputy Ackerman removed his firearm from his holster and fired until Mr. Pritchett was no longer a threat.”
Ackerman was struck in the face and taken to Columbus for treatment of his injuries, and Pritchett was hit multiple times and died at the scene.
“I do feel sorry for the family, however, the facts remain that Mr. Pritchett made every one of these decisions that night that put him in the place that he is at,” adds Treglia. “Deputy Ackerman, in my opinion, and in this office's opinion, should be considered a hero in this community. Fighting for his life and being able to survive.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has investigated 44 officer-involved shootings around the state since January this year. The Attorney General’s office, which oversees BCI, believes the incidents should be transparent and they post the information about the investigation on their website.
“The Attorney General believes these should be an independent investigation,” says Joe Morbitzer, Superintendent of BCI. “You look at the public demand today, which is proper, there needs to be independent investigations and that is one of our missions to investigate these objectively and independently.”
Deputy Ackerman will return to full duty on Monday.
Investigative documents related to fatal officer-involved shooting cases, including this case, can be found at at https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/InvestigativeDocuments
