OHIO: Man Shoots Deputy Who Came to Help Him

[HIGHTECHDUDE]

Sgt. Kocheran was finishing his shift when someone knocked at the back door of the Sheriff’s office in downtown Chillicothe. Kocheran approached the door and greeted a man who opened fire on the deputy.

Kocheran was able to fire back, killing the gunman, but not before he was shot, himself. The volunteer firefighter and deputy Sheriff was in a coma for more than a week and underwent multiple surgeries. He later woke up in the hospital in what his doctors called a “miracle,” with the bullet still lodged inside his body; surgery was too complicated and high-risk to remove the fragments.

CHILLICOTHE, (November 22, 2022) — New information has been released by the Chillicothe Police Department in the ambush shooting of a Ross County deputy at the county’s law complex.

According to the report, officers were dispatched to the rear parking lot of the law complex after receiving a radio call of an officer down at around 5:22 p.m. on Thursday.

Police responded to the scene and found Ross County Sergeant Eric Kocheran suffering from a gunshot to the chest, just inside the rear doorway of the Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, later identified as 42-year-old Nicholas Mitchell, was found close by with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head. Officers stated they approached the suspected shooter and held him at gunpoint while additional personnel rendered aid to Kocheran.

Police said Mitchell approached Kocheran and said that he needed police assistance and that “people were out to kill his family,” before opening fire on the deputy. Kocheran was shot once and then returned fire, hitting the suspect three times.

Officials with the police department stated that a semi-automatic handgun was found underneath the man. The individual was handcuffed and checked for additional weapons while employees at the law complex rendered first aid to him.

Both Kocheran and the suspected shooter were transported to Adena Regional Medical Center. Two medical helicopters were requested to transport them to Grant Medical Center in Columbus. The alleged shooter would later succumb to his injuries at Adena. Kocheran was airlifted to Columbus, where he remained in critical condition while undergoing multiple surgeries for a lacerated lung and liver, and damaged heart.

Kocheran was released from the hospital a few weeks after the shooting and was sent home to heal.

As procedure, he was given six months of paid leave as required by the deputy’s union contract with the Ross County Sheriff’s Office. However, that pay ended. Kocheran was forced to use his personal savings to extend his paycheck while he continued to heal.



On the sixth month anniversary of the shooting, Kocheran gave a speech at OhioHealth for survivors of traumatic events:

“I have been in situations that have been crazy, but nothing prepares for the aftermath …. I spent 27 days at the hospital, 16 of that in the ICU …. it is difficult to watch your loved ones go through this, but they rely on you, trust me,” the sergeant said in his speech. “They rely on you to keep them motivated, pushing them even when they’re frustrated; keep pushing, because when you get to the other side of victories, you know that’s what got you there.”

While Kocheran continues to heal, the dangers of law enforcement aren’t confined to physical injuries. The job also takes a significant toll on officers’ mental health. A recent study published in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology revealed that law enforcement officers have a significantly higher risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide than the general population. The same study found that police officers are nearly five times more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

#OIS

[Roosta]

[tricon7]

Huh. You've been shot. Maybe rolling you over will help somehow.

[wildaxboxer]

Could not be arsed calling 911 to commit suicide by cop, so he paid them a visit...You could say the officer could have fired sooner, but who could blame him for being taken aback when he pulled a gun out, does not happen every day at the back door of a sheriffs office, at least he survived..

[kellyhound]

Should have went inside after the guy took out his gun instead of standing there in the door opening. I wouldn't be talking to someone with one hand in his pocket if i was a cop at a police station anyway.

[kushie18]

he took WAYY too long to shoot him, i wonder if it's a shot first then fire back policy? idk either way he took too long.

[HIGHTECHDUDE]

Originally Posted by kushie18

he took WAYY too long to shoot him, i wonder if it's a shot first then fire back policy? idk either way he took too long.

It's more of a, "you better de-escalate first or lose your job, house, and go to prison" kinda thing... modern rules of engagement.
Statistically, more cops are dying because of it.

[Trucked up]

[joos]

With as shitty and unprepared everyone's response was, this dude could have made his way in and probably got them all if he wasn't a complete idiot himself.

[houseoftechno]

Originally Posted by HIGHTECHDUDE

It's more of a, "you better de-escalate first or lose your job, house, and go to prison" kinda thing... modern rules of engagement.
Statistically, more cops are dying because of it.

A damn shame...