Grand jury declines to indict Columbus officers in 2023 shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A grand jury declined to indict two Columbus police officers in the shooting death of a man at a shopping center last year, according to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office.

On August 9, 2023, officers were called to the 4000 block of South High Street for reports of a man with a gun. Shortly after, they received a second call about a man carjacking an individual in a nearby parking lot.

When officers arrived, they found 29-year-old Austin Huntzinger inside the carjacked vehicle.

According to the prosecutor's office, investigators determined that as the officers began to exit their vehicle, Huntzinger exited the hijacked vehicle with a gun in his hand, which he pointed at the officers as he attempted to to flee the scene.

The officers ordered Huntzinger to drop his gun, but he fired, hitting one of them in the thigh, according to prosecutors. The officers returned fire, hitting Huntzinger.

Medics transported Huntzinger to Grant Medical Center where he died from his injuries. The policeman survived his injuries.

The prosecutor's office said gun tests confirmed that Huntzinger fired his gun twice. A body-worn camera and patrol vehicle video captured the incident and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated.

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