NEW LEBANON — A New Lebanon police officer acted lawfully when he shot a man during a traffic stop late last year, a grand jury decided today.
New Lebanon Officer Steven Gingry was placed on paid administrative leave after he shot Jason Harlow, 42, during a traffic stop on Dec. 10 on Franklin Street.
Harlow was a passenger in the vehicle, which had been stopped for driving on a closed road and for expired license tags. He had a felony warrant for aggravated possession of drugs.
“The officer removed Harlow from the vehicle and was conducting a pat‐down when a firearm fell to the ground from Harlow,” the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said. “The officer pulled his duty weapon and ordered Harlow to remain still, but Harlow lunged back against the officer, making it possible to reach for the weapon.”
>>BODY CAM: New Lebanon officer says he shot man twice
Body camera footage obtained through a public records request by News Center 7 showed the moments leading up to the shooting.
“Don’t you move. Don’t you move. I’ve got a gun,” Gingry says as the gun falls from Harlow. “Dude, I will freaking shoot you if you move. You got me?”
Multiple shots are heard in the video.
“Upon consideration of all the testimony and evidence, the Grand Jury returned a No True Bill, finding that the officer acted lawfully under the circumstances,” the prosecutor’s office said.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated the shooting.
Harlow is still in Montgomery County Jail awaiting court action on his felony charge.