Family of corrections officer who was shot and killed during training hires lawyer

ORIENT, Ohio (WCMH) – The family of the Pickaway County corrections officer shot and killed at the county training academy in April has hired a lawyer. 

Lt. Rodney Osborne's death is being investigated as reckless homicide. It’s been weeks since any new information about the investigation has been released, but the family’s lawyer said he plans to be aggressive to start getting some answers. 

Mark Kitrick, the family’s lawyer and president of Kitrick Lewis and Harris Law Firm, said Osborne's wife and kids still have so many questions, making this even harder than it already is. 

“Well, as you can expect Bobbie, his surviving spouse and the children are beside themselves. They're just really still in shock. They can't believe that this tragedy happened. And they have, as you can imagine, many questions about how it could possibly have happened,” Kitrick said. 

Kitrick said he is going to do everything in his power to get this investigation to pick up speed. 

“I'm going to heavily investigate the case. Look at every possible angle as to what could have happened. For example, why would an employee even pull a gun and point it at another employee, loaded or unloaded? It violates every safety rule there is in this business. Was there something defective about the vest? Was the pistol malfunctioning where the safety guard was removed or deliberately removed,” Kitrick said. 

Last month, NBC4 learned Regional Special Operations Officer David Pearson was put on administrative leave the day after the shooting pending the investigation into Osborne's death. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections said Pearson is still on leave – that is all they would say. 

“There's so many questions that need to be answered, and that's one of the reasons that Bobbie wanted us to get involved right away,” Kitrick said. 

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is leading this investigation. The last documents NBC4 obtained from the highway patrol were heavily redacted. NBC4 asked them for clarification on how Osborne was shot and Pearson's involvement, and they said they have no updates.

 “So if we have to file suit quickly and subpoena, do whatever we need to do to get answers, we're going to be very aggressive to protect the family here,” Kitrick said. 

Kitrick said he has also requested surveillance footage from the corrections facility during the time of the shooting. NBC4 spoke with the Pickaway County Prosecutor’s Office Friday. They said there has not been a case brought to them at this time.