Associated Press
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio — A 911 caller who reported a man carrying a gun in an Ohio Wal-Mart has told state investigators he heard an officer repeatedly say “put it down” about two seconds before police shot the man twice.
An investigator’s summary shows the caller, 24-year-old Ronald Ritchie, was interviewed the day after the Aug. 5 fatal shooting of John Crawford III at the Beavercreek store in suburban Dayton. Crawford had been talking on a cellphone and carrying an air rifle he picked up from a shelf as he walked through the store.
Ritchie’s account of what happened provides some support for statements made by the two officers involved. They said Crawford appeared to be carrying an assault rifle, didn’t respond to repeated commands to drop the weapon and turned toward them aggressively.
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