In Columbus, Ohio, a tragic incident occurred during a training exercise in April, resulting in the death of prisons department officer, Lt. Randy Osborne. The investigative records, released by the victim’s family, revealed that a firearms instructor failed to ensure his gun was empty and accidentally fired a fatal shot into Osborne’s chest.

The Ohio Highway State Patrol report described the sequence of events leading to the tragic incident. The trainer, identified as David Pearson, was in front of Lt. Osborne to provide additional instructions when the gun discharged, striking Osborne just above his protective vest.

David Pearson, an instructor with the state corrections department, entered a plea of not guilty in early August after being indicted on a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide. Pearson’s attorney chose not to comment on the report and instead mentioned a pre-trial hearing scheduled for September.

During the training exercise on April 9 at a state corrections department facility in Pickaway County, Pearson, who was the lead instructor, explained to investigators that he believed he was demonstrating drawing his weapon in a drill with no live rounds. He expressed to investigators that he thought the gun was clear, safe, and unloaded.

Lt. Randy Osborne, aged 43, had experience working on special operations teams with the corrections department and had served at the state prison in Lucasville. The tragic incident highlights the importance of firearm safety protocols during training exercises.