RELATED: Group rallies for man shot, killed by Moraine police
“The investigation is still considered open; however, when it is complete, BCI will turn over its findings to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office,” according to Dorcus Jones, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which oversees BCI.
The AG’s office has said it will be up to the prosecutor’s office to pursue any criminal charges against Howard or Knight.
A coroner’s office spokesman said Tuesday he could not specify how many wounds McShann suffered or their locations.
RELATED: No time frame set for return of officers in fatal shooting
The office could not release the final report — including results of the toxicology report — on McShann because the case remains under criminal investigation, said Mike Fox, an administrative assistant.
Howard and Knight were placed on paid administrative leave the day of the shooting, which is standard protocol in such cases. The Moraine Police Division requested BCI oversee the criminal investigation.
Howard and Knight were re-activated for duty Nov. 20 “based on the known facts” and after the officers passed psychological evaluations, Moraine Police Chief Craig Richardson has said.
RELATED: An in-depth look at Moraine officers in fatal shooting
Attempts to reach Richardson Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Richardson has said Howard and Knight fired 10 shots combined after McShann failed to comply with commands and “presented a handgun and pointed it at the officers, ignoring orders to drop the gun.”
But a lawyer representing the McShann family has a different viewpoint. McShann was “unjustifiably shot and killed” and the officers’ return to work is “not acceptable,” said Andrew M. Stroth, managing partner with Action Injury Law Group.
RELATED: Young officer won praise before deadly shooting
Richardson has said Moraine’s first deadly shooting involving police occurred after Howard and Knight had responded separately to a report of a suspicious person in a vehicle at an apartment complex off Pinnacle Road.
“This was not something that occurred quickly,” Richardson has said. “This was a slow, methodical process the responding officers used.”
Howard, 47, is a 19-year veteran of the department and has been a firearms instructor. Knight, 23, was hired in March 2015.
Both have consistently earned strong semi-annual performance reviews, according to an analysis of more than 200 pages in the officers’ files obtained through a public information request by this news organization.
-MORE COVERAGE OF THIS ISSUE:
RELATED: Officer-involved shooting fatality a first for Moraine
RELATED: Moraine police shooting: Man died after multiple gunshot wounds
RELATED: Moraine police shooting: What we know now
RELATED: Moraine police shooting: Suspect’s gun was loaded with high-capacity magazine
RELATED: Moraine police shooting: Who is Jamarco McShann?
RELATED: Moraine police shooting: Dayton man killed had life surrounded by violence
About the Author