The case involved an April 9, 2024 training exercise at the Corrections Training Academy in Orient, Ohio, near the Pickaway Correctional Institution. Osborne, 43, was taking part in a Special Tactics and Response Team certification course when a firearms drill that was supposed to be handled as a dry-fire training exercise turned deadly.
According to reports based on investigative documents, Pearson was leading the training when he noticed an issue with Osborne’s drill performance. Pearson reportedly walked over to Osborne, had him mirror his movements, unholstered his own pistol, pointed it toward Osborne, and pulled the trigger. The weapon fired, striking Osborne in the chest.
WOSU reported that Pearson later told investigators he did not intend to shoot Osborne and believed his firearm had been cleared. But the entire point of firearm-safety rules is that “I thought it was clear” is never supposed to be enough, especially for the person leading a training exercise.
Osborne was rushed to a hospital but died the same day. The Associated Press reported early in the investigation that the shooting was being investigated as a possible homicide and that Osborne had been shot during training at a state corrections facility.
Pearson was later indicted in Pickaway County on one count of negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. He initially pleaded not guilty, but on Dec. 9, 2024, pleaded guilty in connection with Osborne’s death.
On Dec. 26, 2024, Pearson received the maximum sentence available for the misdemeanor charge: six months in the Pickaway County Jail and a $1,000 fine. ABC6 reported that Pearson had also been terminated from his ODRC position after the shooting.
The outcome left major accountability questions behind. A trained firearms instructor and operations commander was responsible for safety during a drill that should not have involved live ammunition. Instead, a corrections lieutenant died, and the criminal consequence was a misdemeanor sentence measured in months.
In April 2025, two lawsuits were filed over Osborne’s death. One was filed against the state in the Ohio Court of Claims, while another targeted Pearson personally in Pickaway County. The lawsuits reportedly sought judgments of more than $25,000.
This case is a reminder that fatal misconduct does not always happen during a street encounter, traffic stop, or jail confrontation. Sometimes it happens inside a government training facility, during an exercise run by the very person responsible for keeping everyone safe.
Sources
- WSYX/ABC6: Ex-ODRC operations commander sentenced in training exercise death
- WOSU: State firearms instructor pleads guilty in deadly shooting of corrections officer during training
- CW Columbus / ABC6: Released documents provide details into fatal ODRC training exercise
- WSYX/ABC6: Two lawsuits filed over Ohio corrections officer’s death during training exercise
- Associated Press: Fatal shooting of Ohio officer during training investigated as possible homicide
