Termination Follows Criminal Charges in April Incident
An officer from Ohio’s special operations unit has been dismissed after being charged with the fatal shooting of a 43-year-old lieutenant during a training exercise earlier this year. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced that 45-year-old David Pearson’s termination is effective as of September 3. The decision came after Director Annette Chambers-Smith was briefed on the ongoing investigation on Monday, according to a department spokesperson.
Pearson’s dismissal follows a grand jury in Pickaway County charging him with negligent homicide on July 12. This misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and is linked to the death of Lieutenant Rodney Osborne in April, as detailed in court documents.
Details of the Shooting Incident
Lt. Rodney Osborne was fatally shot at approximately 11:30 a.m. on April 9 at the tactical firing range of the academy. He received emergency medical attention from fellow trainees on the scene before being transported to Mount Carmel Grove City, where he was pronounced dead.
An Ohio State Highway Patrol incident report later indicated that the shooting was being investigated as a case of reckless homicide. Although the report did not initially disclose the identity of the individual facing charges, a statement from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction confirmed that Pearson, who served as a west regional special operations commander, had been placed on administrative leave starting April 10.
Officer’s Background and Family Response
Pearson began his career at the Warren Correctional Institution in 2005 and has held his current position since 2021. In contrast, Osborne had dedicated 13 years of service to the department and worked at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Scioto County. He was also part of the facility’s honor guard, had been named employee of the year shortly before his death, and was a member of both the special response team and the statewide special tactics and response team.
In late May, Osborne’s family announced they had hired attorney Mark Kitrick, president of Kitrick Lewis and Harris Law Firm, to represent them. At that time, Kitrick stated that Osborne’s wife and children still had numerous unanswered questions regarding the incident.
“I’m going to thoroughly investigate the case and examine every possible angle regarding what could have transpired. For instance, why would an employee draw a gun and point it at another employee, whether the weapon was loaded or unloaded? This action breaches every safety protocol in our profession,” Kitrick emphasized. “Was there an issue with the vest? Did the pistol malfunction due to a removed safety feature, or was it deliberately tampered with?”
