Corrections officer sentenced to six months behind bars for deadly training range shooting

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) -- An Ohio corrections officer who pleaded guilty earlier this month to negligent homicide has been sentenced to 180 days behind bars.

45-year-old David Pearson appeared Thursday in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court to learn his fate after changing his plea to guilty earlier this month in connection with the death of Lt. Rodney Osborne in April.

Osborne was fatally shot on April 9 at the Corrections Training Academy in Pickaway County’s tactical firing range, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections director Annette Chambers-Smith.

The incident report stated that deputies responded after reports of a trainee suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Osborne received emergency care at the scene from fellow trainees before medics arrived.

Osborne was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A 13-year veteran of the department, Osborne worked at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Scioto County. Osborne was part of the facility's honor guard, had been named employee of the year earlier that month, and was a member of the special response team and the statewide special tactics and response team.

In late May, Osborne’s family announced that they had hired a lawyer, Mark Kitrick, the president of Kitrick Lewis and Harris Law Firm.

Pearson began his tenure with the Warren Correctional Institution in 2005 and had served in his most recent role since 2021.

Pearson was formally charged in July and was fired in August.

In addition to jail time, Pearson was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs.