ORIENT, Ohio — A lieutenant was shot and killed during a training exercise at the Corrections Training Academy in Pickaway County on Tuesday.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Ray Santiago says the lieutenant, identified as Rodney Osborne, was fatally shot before 11:30 a.m.
Osborne has been with the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 13 years and worked at the Southern Ohio Corrections Facility in Scioto County, according to ODRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith.
OSHP says the shooting occurred at the tactical firing range. Officials did not say how the fatal shooting happened, but Chambers-Smith said the incident appears to be a "tragic accident."
Osborne was named employee of the year by the prison last week.
"We ask that you keep Lt. Osborne’s wife, children, loved ones, and team members in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," ODRC wrote in a statement.
The training academy oversees the development and training for all ODRC job classifications, through new employee training, annual in-service training and specialized in-service training courses.
Staff hired by ODRC go through training before working independently in their new positions.
Eric Delbert, owner of L.E.P.D Firearms, Range, and Training Facility, said real-life situations aren’t the only threat of danger law enforcement officials face.
"Everyone assumes that whether you're in law enforcement or corrections there's a level of danger that you see out there in the field any given day… When you're training for those real-life scenarios, those in and of themselves can be dangerous,” Delbert said.
Officials said the shooting occurred at the tactical firing range, which Delbert explained is more than standing at a booth and shooting down range.
"Often times its barricades, its putting yourself into real-life scenarios, it might be kneeling,” Delbert said.
Delbert also explained why real-life training scenarios are important for any law enforcement officer.
"You want them to say, I've been here before, I know how to handle this and so, because of that, you try to put them through different scenarios that you may not think about,” Delbert said.
OSHP is handling the investigation into the shooting.
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