The Ohio Attorney General’s office released a report Monday that found credible reasons for Cleveland Heights officers to shoot 18-year-old Christian Tyson Thomas after responding to a call-for-service at his family’s house.
In the 65-page report, investigators from the attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation described multiple shots fired by Thomas on the night of Aug. 29, 2024, before three officers, who were not named in the report, opened fire.
“All three officers who discharged their weapons believed the subject to be armed and an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to his family, other officers and/or themselves when they fired,” according to the report.
The investigation was presented to a grand jury, which declined to charge the officers.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren said the officers' identities are "protected from public release."
"I would consider your question a public records request and am deferring to our Law Department for a legal response," said Frances Collazo. The law department has not yet responded..
During a press conference Monday, Seren said it is “a positive thing” that a grand jury found officers did not commit a crime.
“However, that night ended with irreparable loss,” said Seren. “The Tyson and Thomas families have suffered that loss. Christian's friends and neighbors have suffered this loss. Our entire community has suffered this loss.”
City officials already released information on the series of events leading up to the shooting, including some body cam, but nothing that showed the first shots fired by an officer.
Officers were called to the house by Christian’s sister, who said he was fighting with their father, Ferrel. She said Christian had a gun, had fired a shot and was behaving irrationally.
“I don’t know if you want to go in there right now, I’m not gonna lie,” one of his two sisters told responding officers after they arrived.
After speaking with officers over the phone and staying with Christian inside, Ferrel joined Christian’s sisters and officers outside. Police called for a hostage negotiator and saw Christian at the front door with a gun in his hand. Body camera footage captured what sounded like additional gun shots inside the home before Christian ran through a screened in porch in the back of the house.
“Upon seeing the subject running across the three-seasons room from south to north, towards a wall of screened windows on the north side of the home, Officer Perez exclaimed ‘Show me your hands!’ As Officer Perez finished giving this order, the second loud percussive sound consistent with a gunshot was captured on multiple BWC recordings,” the report states.
Officer Elizabeth Perez responded to the scene but was not one of the officers who opened fire.
Of the three officers who opened fire, two were near Christian when he came out of the house. After being shot, he ran through a neighbor’s yard before collapsing in their driveway. Officers provided medical attention before paramedics arrived, according to the report.
The BCI report provides some new details about what occurred that night on a quiet, tree-lined Yellowstone Road in Cleveland Heights.
According to the report, the unnamed officer who first fired at Thomas accidentally turned their body camera off shortly before firing.
It’s unclear from the report whether Thomas ever fired a shot outside the home. The only bullets fired from his gun were found in the walls of the house and screened-in porch.
A bullet casing and firearm believed to belong to Thomas was found in the bushes next to the porch.
Ferrel Thomas told officers at the scene he believed his son was under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The attorney general’s office redacted details from the toxicology report, but bags of mushrooms were found inside the home.
The family’s attorney declined to comment on the report.
Only two of the three officers who fired their weapons saw Thomas when they fired, according to the BCI report. The third fired multiple times into the front of the house, after hearing gunshots, because that was where he last saw Thomas.
During Monday’s press conference, Seren said he will have a captain from the department review the BCI report and consider policy changes. He also plans to submit legislation to city council to create a police oversight board in Cleveland Heights.
“It's important for our community's values and priorities to be directly reflected in what is a central responsibility of our local government,” said Seren. “If there are ways that police training, policies, and practice can be changed to more closely embrace our community, our community has to be involved in finding those ways.”
Seren is facing a recall vote during September’s primary election, one result of a long-running conflict with council, members of the public and some former members of his administration. He is not running for reelection.
The department is also conducting an internal review to consider possible disciplinary measures against the officers.
