Body cam shows Fairfield Township police shoot man who chased officers with hammer, knife
By: Newly released body cam footage from Fairfield Township police shows a 29-year-old man being shot by police Wednesday night, Chief Robert Chabali said in a press conference Friday.
Fairfield Township officers responded to Camargo Trailer Park in the 5500 block of Fairfield Road for reports from a mobile crisis staffer of a person having a mental episode.
While officers were speaking with family members outside, body cam footage shows Brian Hubbard exit the home and walk at officers with a knife and hammer.
Moments prior to Hubbard chasing police, that mobile crisis staffer pulled up to the residence, Chabali said. The video shows police repeatedly tell Hubbard to drop the weapons.
The video, which shows several angles of the incident, sees Hubbard shot multiple times. Afterward, he sets the weapons down and walks back into the home where officers then arrested him.
He was taken to UC West Chester hospital and is in critical condition.
Chabali said he believes the officers were justified in the shooting. Steve Irwin, the press secretary for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, said no officers were injured.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation going further.
Less than one month ago, two Fairfield Township officers resigned after they did not use deadly force against an armed suspect. Chief Robert Chabali said officers Austin Reed and Mark Bartlett were searching for 25-year-old Stephaun Jones after he shot and killed someone. When they arrived at the scene and left their cars, Jones pointed a gun at officers and refused to listen to their commands.
Officer Reed deployed his Taser but did not hit Jones. Bartlett wrote in a police report he was "unable to take a shot at the male, due to a citizen mowing his lawn behind the male suspect." The officers lost sight of Jones, who was later shot by Hamilton police officers.
"It’s been determined that our officers, two of them did not really do what they were supposed to do, and that is to use lethal force to stop the threat," Chabali said.
BCI is investigating the shooting of Jones. Both Hamilton officers were put on administrative leave in accordance with department policy.