No Charges for Ohio Officer in Fatal Shooting

Sept. 22, 2017
A Lucas County grand jury did not indict the Toledo police officer who fatally shot a West Toledo man earlier this month.

TOLEDO, Ohio -- A Lucas County grand jury did not indict the Toledo police officer who fatally shot a West Toledo man earlier this month.

Officer Jonathan Curtis, a five-year veteran of the department, faces no charges following the shooting of Shane Marsh, 55.

The case was presented to the grand jury Wednesday.

“Having reviewed the case and the facts surrounding the shooting, the grand jury determined that no further investigation is needed into whether or not it was a justifiable use of force,” said Jeff Lingo, chief of the criminal division for the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office.

Both Officer Curtis and Officer Bryan Staup responded to the 1700 block of Berkshire Place for a domestic violence call on Sept. 4.

A neighbor reported to police that a woman at the home was screaming for help.

The fatal shooting occurred in the living room of the home at about 8:20 p.m., officials reported. Officer Staup was outside of the home when the shooting happened.

Mr. Marsh had been in the kitchen, making a sandwich, said his long-time girlfriend, Kim Bensman, who was at the home when the shooting happened. 

When the officer arrived, Mr. Marsh came out to the front room and confronted Officer Curtis, Mr. Lingo said.

“The evidence in the case indicated that Shane Marsh was advancing on the officer with a knife,” Mr. Lingo said. “He was holding the knife in his hand in an aggressive manner and, after the officer gave him multiple warnings to drop the knife and retreated to the front door area of the home, he fired a single shot, defending himself and the others in the home.”

Toledo Police Chief George Kral previously said it appeared the officer acted within departmental policies and within the law.

Mr. Marsh was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 8:40 p.m., according to Lucas County Deputy Coroner Dr. Maneesha Pandey. He was shot in the left thigh, which caused his death, she said.

Both officers have returned to work, Toledo police spokesman Sgt. Kevan Toney said Wednesday.

The department is also completing an internal investigation to ensure all police department policies were followed. Sergeant Toney said that investigation should be completed soon.

Staff writer Jennifer Feehan contributed to this report.

Contact Allison Reamer at [email protected], 419-724-6506 or on Twitter @AllisonRBlade.

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©2017 The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)

Visit The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) at www.toledoblade.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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