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Prosecutor: No charges for Butler Co. deputy who shot man attempting 'suicide by cop'

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Posted at 9:52 AM, Jun 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-21 11:57:47-04

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Butler County prosecutor's office said Friday that there will be no charges brought against any law enforcement officers who shot a Ross Township man attempting "suicide by cop" in May.

"After the independent investigation and review by the Butler County Grand Jury, no charges against any officer or agent have been returned," Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser wrote in a statement. "The use of force as stated was justified."

Around 12:30 p.m. on May 10, deputies were serving a federal warrant from the Department of Homeland Security at a home in the 4200 block of Jennifer Drive in Ross Township, officials with the Butler County Sheriff's Office said. The prosecutor's office said the suspect, 26-year-old Alex Hoskins, pointed a loaded pistol at the deputies "for the stated purpose of eliciting a lethal response..."

“The deputy told him to drop the weapon. He didn’t. The deputy shot him,” Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said. "You can’t point guns at the police and expect the police to let you shoot them first."

Jones said Hoskins sustained a non-life-threatening injury. Investigators interviewed Hoskins at the Butler County Sheriff's Office, and he confessed to possession of child pornography as well as sending and receiving images and videos of child pornography.