OHIO — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday investigations surrounding officers who shot and killed two people in two separate incidents in Columbus are complete.
The cases, investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, have been referred to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office to eventually be presented to a grand jury.
The first investigation referred was the death of Andrew Teague, 43, on March 8. The second is the shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, on April 20.
"The process needs to work. The truth needs to be found and each one of these cases are an individual set of circumstaces," Yost said.
Teague was shot by a Franklin County sheriff deputy after a pursuit on I-270. Police said he was wanted on a felonious assault warrant related to a shooting on Feb. 2.
Columbus police said officers stopped chasing Teague but he was later spotted on a shoulder of the interstate by Franklin County deputies. They began to pursue Teague when he ended up driving on the wrong direction of the interstate, striking two oncoming vehicles.
When Teague exited the vehicle, a joint release from Columbus Police and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said Teague was confronted by officers, and shots were fired.
The second investigation was the shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, who died after a Columbus police officer shot her. Body camera footage showed Bryant lunging with a knife at a young woman, and when the officer attempted to get Bryant to stop by yelling for her to "get down," he fired his weapon.
Officers then attempted life-saving measures "almost immediately," according to Columbus Department of Police Interim Chief Michael Woods. Medics arrived on scene within six minutes, according to authorities.
Bryant was taken to a nearby hospital, and she was pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m.
Yost said now that the cases have been completed, the Franklin County prosecuting attorney's office will review and analyze the cases. Yost said he hopes the cases will be before a grand jury within the next few weeks.
"After the investigation is completed, the investigative report is provided to the prosecutor’s office and, with the prosecutor’s approval, to the requesting agency. Those entities may then use the investigation to determine the appropriateness of the officer’s actions," Yost said.