HAMILTON, Ohio -- A Butler County grand jury has returned no indictment in the officer-involved shooting death of a St. Clair Township man last week, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
Deputy Taylor Henson, a six-year veteran of the force, fired the shots outside a residence on Jackson Road on June 20 that killed Jacob Faulkner, 32.
Henson remains on administrative leave.
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Police were initially called to a scene in St. Clair Township on reports of a man, later identified as Faulkner, shooting at a moving train.
As deputies surrounded a house in the 4100 block of Trenton Road, Faulkner, a New Miami High School graduate, walked around the garage and raised his rifle at Henson, who fired several shots, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
“Regrettably, Jacob Faulkner engaged in conduct with a firearm, a pistol that required the immediate response of a Butler County Deputy Sheriff,” Gmoser said.
“All requirements for the use of deadly force by the deputy were followed,” he said.
Gmoser added, “This case does underscore equally significant issues. Mr. Faulkner was a veteran and deeply troubled from his military service. Once again we can only speculate on his motivation to force his death … but circumstances dictate a conclusion that he intended his life to end by the hand of another.”
Gmoser cited a recent Journal-News article that reported as many as 20 veterans each day commit suicide.
That statistic, he said, is “perhaps symptomatic of our inability to protect those who have served us in harm’s way. While Mr. Faulkner’s death may be used to advance a number of political interests, I suggest it be used to advance public awareness of the very real mental health problems facing those returning from our perpetual theaters of war.”
