Hamilton, OH – Surveillance video from the scene of a fatal officer-involved shooting was seen publicly for the first time Monday since the Aug. 22 incident.
That video, along with statements from witnesses, led a grand jury to return a “no indictment” decision in the case in which Hamilton Police officer Kevin Ruhl fatally shot 34-year-old Kelley Brandon Forte as police say he charged at the officer with a knife.
“This was not just armed robbery,” Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit said as he outlined in detail what happened shortly before 2:30 a.m. when Forte entered a Walgreens on High Street and placed a 1o-inch knife to the throat of a pharmacist and demanded drugs and money.
“The suspect was in the pharmacy for nine minutes, nine agonizingly slow, terrifying minutes. He doesn’t just rob her, he terrorizes her,” Bucheit said as he held up the knife Forte used in the robbery, noting the “gutting” hook on the tip that is commonly used for hunting or skinning.