No charges in Sandusky County fatal shooting
10/23/2010FREMONT - A special Sandusky County grand jury heard evidence but returned no indictments Friday in the fatal shooting of a rural Fremont man.
Sandusky County Sheriff's Deputies Mario and Jose Calvillo, who are brothers and members of the sheriff's tactical response team, shot and killed Bryan P. Jones, 26, at his parents' Tiffin Road home July 11 after Jones' father, Tracy Jones, called the sheriff's office saying his son had been drinking for two days, had threatened to kill himself and family members, and was inside the house with guns.
It's unclear what happened when three members of the tactical response team entered the house, although Chief Deputy Bruce Hirt initially said Jones had pointed a gun at deputies before they fired. He and Sheriff Kyle Overmyer later qualified that, saying they could not be sure what happened until the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation had concluded its inquiry.
Friday, the sheriff declined to comment on the grand jury proceedings and referred questions to Special Prosecutor Timothy Braun. Mr. Braun, an assistant Lucas County prosecutor appointed to the case, declined to comment, citing the secrecy of proceedings.
Family members of Jones said after his death that Jones had been asleep on the couch when the deputies arrived.
Earlier this month, his parents, Tracy and Kim Jones, filed a $20 million wrongful-death suit in U.S. District Court against the deputies, Sheriff Overmyer, the county, and the board of commissioners. They claim they had called for help for their son and he instead was killed by the deputies.
"Deputy Defendants Jose and Mario Calvillo, acting under color of law, negligently, maliciously and with willful intent, without justification, shot and killed Bryan, when Bryan posed no threat to their safety, nor to the safety of anyone else," the suit alleges.
Contacted at home Friday night, Mr. Jones said his family had no comment.
Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-724-6129.