Officer in Charge of Paul Schenck’s Killing Relieved of Duty
Earlier this week, I wrote about a friend of mine who was killed by the police this summer. Well, last night, the officer in charge was fired. This from a local news channel, WHIO:
A Greene County sheriff’s major is no longer with the department.
Maj. Eric Spicer has been on paid leave since an officer-involved shooting in Yellow Springs in July of last year. Sheriff Gene Fischer on Thursday would not confirm whether that incident led to Spicer’s release from the sheriff’s office.
Spicer was involved in the July 30 standoff in the 300 block of North Main Street that ended six hours later with the death of Paul E. Schenck Jr., a mentally ill man who had fired more than 100 shots at responding officers.
A Greene County grand jury cleared Deputy James Hughes and determined his use of force was appropriate. Hughes, who also was placed on paid leave following the incident, has since returned to duty.
A Bureau of Criminal Investigation report — presented Nov. 12 by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine — also concluded that Schenck’s death was unavoidable.
During the incident, Spicer assumed command of SWAT units, the Dayton and Fairborn armored vehicles, and the Ohio Highway Patrol’s aviation unit, according to the report. At one point, Spicer fired one round in return at Schenck, whose fire then stopped temporarily. The report did not indicate whether Spicer’s bullet struck the suspect.
That’s good news, of course. Everything I’ve heard indicates he deserved to get fired. But it doesn’t answer any of my questions about what happened at Paul’s door. Nor why the Yellow Springs Police Department was lying about the training their officers received. Nor why they’ve refused to even analyze their own actions.
Greene County took it upon themselves to mount their own investigation, as they should have, to assign responsibility, as they should have, and to hold someone accountable, as they should have.
But the officers who need to be held accountable are the ones who made initial contact with Paul: Officers Knapp and Roegner from the Yellow Springs Police Department.
I’m more and more convinced that had anyone else showed up at Paul’s door, he would still be alive. They created the clusterfuck that Spicer inherited. And no matter how much Spicer deserved to be held accountable, it’s that much more deserved for them.
