CLEARCREEK TWP. — A Clearcreek Township officer shot in the line of duty is expected to survive and is already showing improvement at the hospital.
Clearcreek Twp. Police Chief John Terrill and Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell held a joint press conference Thursday to release new details and cruiser camera video of the shooting that has an officer in the hospital and another man dead.
Officers were first called to reports of a domestic violence incident in the 5900 block of state Route 48, which is south of Lower Springboro Road, around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday night.
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Terrill previously said when they received the call for a domestic incident, police were told about an individual “ramming his wife’s car with an ATV.” That individual was later identified as Mark Evers, 64.
On Thursday, Terrill said Evers’ wife told a 911 dispatcher that they had gotten into an argument over the way she wrapped a horse’s legs.
Officer Eric Ney and Sergeant Nicole Cordero responded to the scene and noted seeing a Evers ramming his wife vehicle with an ATV before he drove off to the back of the property. The officers had determined they had reason to arrest Evers for domestic violence because of his actions, but it took them an hour to convince him to drive his ATV back to their location so they could speak with him.
Cruiser camera video from the incident showed the officers talking with Evers, who remained in the ATV. The officers can be seen instructing Evers to turn off the vehicle at least three times.
“You better put that gun away,” one officer said.
Seconds later, Evers fired at least two shots at Ney, a 14-year veteran of the force, and he falls to the ground, badly injured. On Thursday, Terrill revealed Ney had been shot once across the face and described his injuries as severe, but noted he regained consciousness Wednesday and was up on his feet Thursday.
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“He’s got some hard work ahead of him” Terrill said.
The video showed after Ney was shot, Cordero returned fire at Evers as he bailed out of the ATV.
Fornshell said Evers was shot multiple times and that one of the gunshot wounds was a “contact wound” to his head. He stated that Cordero was not close enough to produce that wound. Fornshell said two of the gunshot wounds Evers sustained “could have been fatal” and that a full autopsy would determine the manner of Evers’ death as suicide, homicide or “undetermined.”
Terrill said officers had been called to that property before when Evers had issues with neighbors. The chief described at least two times when Evers had displayed weapons during the officers’ responses.
Cordero was placed on paid administrative leave and will remain on it until the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation completes its investigation of the incident.
Terrill said Thursday that this was the department’s first officer-involved shooting since its founding in 1975.
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