COLUMBUS — The former firearms instructor charged in the fatal shooting of an Ohio corrections officer during a training exercise was sentenced on Thursday.
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David Pearson was sentenced to six months in jail and given a $1,000 fine for the fatal shooting of Lt. Rodney Osbourne on April 9, our news partners WBNS-10 TV reported.
News Center 7 previously reported that Pearson pled guilty to negligent homicide earlier this month after originally pleading not guilty.
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Osbourne was shot during a training exercise at the Corrections Training Academy in Pickaway County.
An autopsy report revealed that Osbourne was struck just above his bulletproof vest.
His death was vexing investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol as a reckless homicide.
Documents provided to WBNS-10 TV by the attorney of Osborne’s widow show that Osborne, along with 14 others, was taking part in a 40-hour training exercise for the Special Tactics and Response Team at the Corrections Training Academy in Orient. It was being led by Pearson and five other S.T.A.R instructors, according to a previous News Center 7 report.
In a statement to his attorney, Pearson said he noticed that Lt. Osborne was struggling to draw his pistol from his holster during one of the exercises and get it leveled on the target.
He then stepped in front of Osborne to do what he called a “mirror drill”, where he instructed Osborne to mirror his actions while the two were standing face to face.
Both Pearson and Osborne drew their pistols. When Pearson pulled the trigger, his pistol went off and the round hit Osborne in the chest, documents say.
OSHP officials said that the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s policies and procedures do not reference a “mirror drill,” but there are some instances where someone can point a firearm at another person if certain conditions are met, according to a previous News Center 7 report.
“Prior to the shooting, Mr. Pearson’s actions did not meet the specific conditions required by ODRC policy and procedure to point his firearm at Mr. Osborne,” the report read.
The ODRC fired Pearson in August. Osborne worked with the ODRC for 13 years and worked at the Southern Ohio Corrections Facility in Scioto County, according to Director Annette Chambers-Smith.
Osborne was recently named employee of the year at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility where he was the commander of the Special Response Team.
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