No charges against Ohio police officers who shot and killed man in 2023

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two Columbus Police officers will not face charges in connection with a shooting that left a man dead in 2023.

A Franklin County grand jury has decided not to indict police officers Anthony Sebastiano and Jeremy Smith in the death of Austin Huntzinger, Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack said Friday. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation also reviewed body camera and dashcam footage of the incident.

The shooting stemmed from an Aug. 9 report of an armed man in the 4000 block of South High Street. A second call reported an armed man stealing a car in a nearby parking lot. When Sebastiano and Smith found Huntzinger in the stolen car and got out, Huntzinger got out of his car with a gun in his hand. Tyack said Huntzinger pointed the gun at the two officers as he tried to flee.

After Huntzinger was ordered to drop the weapon, he fired twice, hitting Sebastiano in the thigh, according to prosecutors. Both officers fired back, hitting Huntzinger.

Huntzinger later died at a local hospital. Tyack said Sebastiano underwent surgery for his gunshot wound and survived.

According to court records, Huntzinger had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from a June 29, 2023, incident in which he was charged with fleeing an officer in a vehicle and obstructing the performance of his duties. He also faced a charge of possession of a weapon while under disability in Knox County and was scheduled to have a court hearing in September.

The suspect had previously been convicted and received three years’ probation for aggravated assault in November 2019. In 2018, he was sentenced to two years’ probation for aggravated menacing. He was later sentenced to 30 days in jail, five of which were suspended after his probation was revoked in August 2020 after he received his sentence for aggravated assault.