NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson has ruled that two North Ridgeville police officers did not use unreasonable force when they fatally shot a Tennessee man wanted for the death of his girlfriend in May.
In a four-page brief, Tomlinson concluded that 41-year-old Jason Norris was attempting to kill North Ridgeville officers Omar Vazquez and Chad Siebeneck on the night of May 8 and was "clearly a danger" to other officers stationed at the scene before Vazquez shot him.
"The issue of whether Norris was actively resisting arrest at the time he was killed is clear. Indeed, he was attempting to shoot his way out, and this brief standoff ended with Norris' life," Tomlinson wrote.
CASE BACKGROUND
According to North Ridgeville Police Chief Mike Freeman, at approximately 6:21 p.m., the department was notified by the White County (TN) Sheriff's Office that a Flock camera had hit on a vehicle of interest associated with Norris. The stolen vehicle, a Jeep Compass SUV with a Tennessee license plate, had belonged to Norris' girlfriend.
Freeman added that the Flock hits happened during a roughly 10-minute period between 6:02 p.m. and 6:14 p.m. while the Jeep was on State Route 83, then on Center Ridge Road at Lear Nagle Road.
Tomlinson noted in his report that as the search for Norris began, Officer Vazquez was just getting into the city of North Ridgeville in a "marked cruiser" to start his shift. "Officer Vazquez recalled being familiar with a residence on James Road in North Ridgeville where the residents had ties to the state of Tennessee. Upon arriving at that address, Officer Vazquez was able to identify the vehicle Norris had stolen in the driveway," the report stated.
The house in the 4800 block of James Road belonged to Norris' grandmother Ethel. Police officials later explained that the residence has been a "problem house" for police over the years, with calls for domestic disputes, custody disputes, and noise complaints.
"Every one of us knows that address. That's just how often we've been there," said North Ridgeville Police Lt. Anthony Lee.
As police, including Vazquez and Siebeneck, were moving in to surround the house and create a perimeter, officials stated Norris and his cousin came out the front door and were heading towards the Jeep.
The report from Tomlinson states that North Ridgeville officers began shouting commands to the two men "not to move." While the cousin obeyed the orders of police, Norris continued down the driveway.
"As Norris continued walking, Officer Vazquez continued to shout warnings to him: "Police, do not move! Put your hands on your face!" Ignoring these commands, Norris continued down the driveway, opened the door to the vehicle he had stolen, and removed a handgun," Tomlinson's report added.
Norris turned to face Vazquez and "fired a single shot at the officer," the report states. The suspect then "aimed his gun" at Siebeneck, prompting Vazquez to fire "his service rifle" at Norris, striking him in the lower right chest. Siebeneck also fired a shot from his rifle, but missed Norris.
"The officers acted very professional," Freeman said after the shooting. "I'm very proud of my guys, where there was great restraint shown -- where two shots were taken, suspect went down."
Norris was treated by officers at the scene, then taken to UH St. John Medical Center in Westlake where he was pronounced dead.
THE DECISION
In his conclusion, Tomlinson noted that Norris was wanted for murder with a firearm, "a felon in possession of a weapon."
"He had committed a robbery and he had attempted to murder two police officers. At the time Officers Vazquez and Siebeneck fired upon Norris, the offenses Norris had committed could not have been more serious," he stated in his report, adding that Norris was also actively resisting arrest.
"The issue for me to resolve is whether North Ridgeville Police Officers Omar Vazquez and Chad Siebeneck used unreasonable force by firing their service rifles at Jason Norris, including the shot fired by Officer Vazquez that caused Norris' death.
"I find that they did not."
3News' Ryan Haidet and Tyler Carey contributed to this story