SPRINGFIELD — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office will take over as special prosecutor in the case of Eric Cole, the Springfield man who died after he was shot and later run over by a police cruiser responding to his call for help.
>>PREVIOUS REPORT: ‘They just hit me,’ Springfield shooting victim says in 911 call as police cruiser runs over him
Clark County Prosecutor Dan Driscoll requested the help from the Ohio AG’s Office “to ensure that there was no appearance of a Conflict of Interest in this case,” a prosecutor’s office spokesperson said in a media release Tuesday.
>>Autopsy shows new details after man shot and then runover by police in Springfield
“I believe this office could have handled this case in an impartial and professional manner,” Driscoll said in the media release. “However, there are times when even the appearance of bias can erode faith in the justice system.”
>>Family, friends gather at vigil for Springfield shooting victim hit by responding police cruiser
“The involvement of a Springfield Police Division officer in this case and the allegations made by the family of Mr. Cole have led me to believe that any involvement from this office would be viewed as unfair and biased.” Because of this we have asked the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to step in and handle this case moving forward.”
The Ohio AG’s Office will handle the review of any potential charges in the incident including the actions of the Springfield officer and the person who shot Cole.
A spokesperson for the Ohio AG’s Office confirmed the report from the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office but did not issue a comment on the case, saying the office was still making an initial review.
Cole had been shot around 11:15 p.m. June 13 on South Center Boulevard in Springfield. He had called 911 saying he was shot, lying in the middle of the street, and was in need of help. Cole was still on the phone with dispatchers when he said he’d been hit by a police cruiser.
Cruiser camera footage captured the police response, including when the cruiser hit him. Cole was later taken by CareFlight medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital where he later died.
Cole’s cause and manner of death have not been officially ruled and his death is still listed as pending, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office told News Center 7 Tuesday.
The officer who hit Cole was identified as Officer Amanda Rosales, a two-year veteran of the department who is in her first job out of the police academy, Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf previously said. Rosales remains on paid administrative leave while the investigations continue, a Springfield city spokesperson also told News Center 7 Tuesday.
The investigation into the incident was being handled in three parts, a criminal investigation into the shooting of Cole, which is being handled by Springfield police, the crash investigation, being handled by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and a third, an internal police investigation opened by the department’s Professional Standards Unit.
The Springfield spokesperson said there were no new details into the criminal and internal investigations and both remain ongoing.
According to the OSHP crash report, Rosales was listed as distracted by an “other distraction outside the vehicle.” However, the crash report does not list if either Rosales or Cole was at fault in the crash. Rosales was not subjected to an alcohol or blood test to check for signs of impairment after the crash, the report indicates.
Previously, Graf said Rosales was trying to catch addresses on houses and didn’t see Cole before she hit him. Graf stressed multiple times during a news conference that Rosales hitting Cole was an accident and was not intentional.
Graf acknowledged during the same news conference that officers are subjected to multiple, possible distractions inside their police cruisers including police radio traffic, laptops, cruiser-placed cameras and others. Graf said all distractions either provide stimuli that can cause distractions or limit sight lines and visibility out of the front of the cruiser. Graf added that officers are asked to stay off their laptops as much as possible while driving.
Family members have raised several questions about the police response and handling of the incident, including taking over the press conference hosted by police, city, and community leaders discussing the events of June 13.
One point of contention brought forth by Cole’s family members was that Rosales was not subjected to any test for impairment after hitting him.
Graf said it is not department policy for an officer to be subjected to a breathalyzer test automatically after an accident, and only if there are signs of impairment. Graf said a department captain determined there was not signs of impairment with Rosales and she was not subjected to the breath test.
Graf added context, saying that the same is for normal citizens involved in crashes. If the drivers involved do not show signs of impairment after a crash they will not be given a breath test, he said.
Additional details were not available. We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.
©2021 Cox Media Group
