Officer whose pat-down missed gun cautioned against rushing

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio officer who missed a gun during a pat-down of Miles Jackson — later leading to Jackson being fatally shot by officers after a struggle over the weapon — had been previously encouraged to not rush his job responsibilities, records show.

Westerville Police Officer Eric Everhart conducted a brief patdown before Jackson was put in an ambulance and transferred to a nearby hospital.

“I’m just going to pat you down real quick, make sure you ain’t got nothing on you, right, no weapons, nothing like that?” the officer said, according to his body camera footage.

Within minutes the 27-year-old Jackson, who was Black, was dead. Everhart is white, as are the Columbus officers who shot Jackson.

Everhart had “a multiple week period where his work seemed rushed,” a supervisor wrote in a 2017 report as part of his personnel file. The officer seemed receptive to the criticism, according to the file obtained by The Associated Press through a records request.

“Most importantly, he understood that mistakes can and will be made. However, slowing down will make those mistakes minor and part of a learning process,” the supervisor noted.

In another comment, Everhart was encouraged “to slow down and think through the case in front of him instead of rushing through, just to get it done.” In a third comment, the supervisor wrote, “I mentioned to him that it seems as if many of the oversights he makes are the result of speed.”

Everhart and another Westerville officer are on administrative leave. A police union official called their actions “textbook examples of professionalism and compassion throughout their contact with the suspect.”

“I will say with confidence that any actions of the Westerville officers did not impact the will of the suspect to have an armed confrontation with the officers that day,” said Jeff Simpson, executive vice president of the Columbus police union. He called officers involved in the shooting “absolute heroes who took action that saves lives and avoided a potential mass shooting incident.”

Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler on Wednesday expressed concerns about his officer's actions.

“I have viewed the body camera footage from the initial contact with Miles Jackson and have concerns that warrant further review," Chandler said in a statement.

The pat-down that missed the gun was one of a series of contacts that authorities had with Jackson on Monday that has raised questions about the fatal encounter.

Jackson had been taken to Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital earlier in the day, and then walked away.

Westerville police were then called after he was found passed out in a nearby parking lot. After the pat-down, they followed medics to the same hospital, where Jackson was met by Columbus police because of city warrants for his arrest.