COLUMBUS, Ohio — A grand jury in Marion County has cleared the actions of law enforcement who fatally shot a man last December after he fired shots at police.
The grand jury affirmed that police acted properly when 38-year-old Travis Hellinger fired shots toward them and a police dog. No criminal charges will be brought against the officers involved, according to the Marion County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Though not required by law, Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan said he brought the case before the grand jury to provide “the fullest amount of transparency and accountability to the use of force by the Special Response Team.”
The incident happened on Dec. 20 when the Marion Police Department said that officers and sheriff's deputies with the Marion County Special Response Team executed a search warrant at Hellinger's home, located in the 200 block of North Swain Avenue in the Village of LaRue.
When law enforcement arrived, Hellinger left his house on foot towards nearby railroad tracks and was armed with at least three semiautomatic handguns.
Hellinger began walking down the railroad tracks while screaming at the police.
Police said officers pleaded with him to drop his weapons and deployed a K-9 in an attempt to end the standoff without gunfire. Hellinger then opened fire and shot at the K-9 and officers.
Officers returned fire and struck Hellinger, who died after being transported to the hospital. No officers, including the K-9, were injured in the shooting.
“Our law enforcement officers have a hard job, and their work gets downright dangerous when a fleeing criminal suspect tries to kill them,” Grogan said following the decision. “Our local law enforcement officers are among the best in the State of Ohio, and while I didn’t have any reason to believe the officers and deputies acted improperly, I wanted the citizens on the Grand Jury to review the facts. They did so and they decided that no charges should be brought. The matter is now closed.”