Morrow County prosecutor intends to seek death penalty in fatal shooting of deputy
During a Friday press conference, County Prosecutor Andrew Wick detailed a grand jury indictment, in which 53-year-old Brian Wilson will face 14 charges in the alleged murder of Sherrer.
'After consultation with the Sheriff's office and the deputy's sheriff's family, and law enforcement community, and review of facts and circumstances around this case, upon conviction it is my intention to seek the death penalty,' Wick said. 'I stand committed with my office and our law enforcement community to seek justice for fallen deputy Daniel Sherrer.'
Sherrer, 31, was shot and killed on Memorial Day after responding to a domestic violence call in which Wilson was involved, reportedly with his brother in law, according to Wick. For a previous report on this story view the video player above.
Wilson, 53, was booked into Delaware County Jail days after a shootout between him and Sherrer on the doorstep of a home on County Road 26, just south of Marengo. Wilson, who was injured in the shootout, is charged with aggravated murder and remains in jail with a $5 million bond.
Sherrer was reportedly responding to a domestic violence call when Wilson confronted him on the porch of the home. Wilson allegedly told Sherrer, 'You better just f—— go if you want your family to see you tomorrow,' before shots were fired.
Several gunshots were heard and Sherrer was hit during the exchange. More shots were fired, a court affidavit said, and two firearms were recovered, including a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver.
On Tuesday, Wilson appeared virtually for his arraignment hearing in Morrow County court and received a $5 million cash surety bond with no possibility of paying 10%. Wick had requested a $9 million bond.
During the press conference, Wick listed the 14-count indictment handed down by Friday's grand jury against Wilson, It includes the following charges.
Aggravated murder with three specifications which qualify for death penalty
Premeditated aggravated murder, also with specifications that make the suspect eligible for death penalty
Felony murder
Felonious assault of a police officer, causing serious physical harm
Felonious assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon
Attempted murder of the defendant's brother in law
Attempted aggravated murder of the defendant's brother in law
Felonous assault of the defendant's brother in law
Domestic violence, with a prior conviction of domestic violence
Unlawful discharge of a firearm into a habitation
Unlawful discharge of a firearm near a public roadway
Possession of a firearm
Possession of a firearm
Discharging of a firearm while intoxicated
Counts 1-11 include a three-year weapon specifications.
Sherrer was honored with a 120-mile procession two days after the shooting and was laid to rest Wednesday at a private ceremony at Marion Cemetery. A public service took place earlier in the day at Northmor High School with former sheriff and current pastor Steve Brenneman officiating. Gov. Mike DeWine had also ordered flags flown at half staff until the completion of funeral services.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lansing schools made security upgrades over the summer. Here's what's new
LANSING — The metal detectors that moved into Dwight Rich School of the Arts late last school year will still be around when students return on Wednesday, Aug. 20. And a 'secure vestibule,' which prevents parents, volunteers and strangers from freely entering the school's hallways, also is being built at the K-8 building in southwest Lansing. Secure vestibules were built over the summer and are ready to be used at Attwood New Tech Magnet School, which serves elementary and middle school grades, and Lyons School and Forest View Elementary School, two elementary buildings. The vestibules are just one of the school safety features, planned long ago, that will greet students and parents this school year, district officials said. There also is fencing around the elementary- and middle-grade buildings, damage-resistant film on windows, and camera upgrades and installations, said Kristina Sleight, chief operating officer of the Lansing School District. 'We're happy to have them in the schools,' she said of returning students. 'We hope that they feel as safe and secure as we know that they are. We appreciate parents' feedback when we're looking to do these types of projects at our schools. We're just excited to see our kiddos.' Lansing School District officials placed metal detectors and handheld wands at Dwight Rich after a gun was found on campus the Thursday before the long Memorial Day weekend. Metal detectors were already at the high school buildings including Everett High School, where a teenager was found with a gun after officers responded to a fight call at the school on May 27. Paul Elam, chief strategy officer at the Okemos-based Michigan Public Health Institute and a leader in the development and operation of Advance Peace Lansing, estimated, based on conversations he has had with Lansing teens, that there's over 100 guns owned by or easily accessible to children and teenagers in the city. 'Children as young as 12 have access to these weapons,' he said earlier this year. 'Guns are everywhere. ... There's not a kid we talk to who doesn't know someone who has a gun, doesn't know someone who's been shot or been shot at or doesn't think guns are easy to acquire.' Sleight said the district annually spends about $1 million on safety improvements. 'There are additional funds that are being made available to school districts to upgrade security features,' she said. 'We've been taking advantage of applying for grants and getting additional funding to update our school facilities. 'We want everybody to feel as safe as we know that they are in our care, so we want to make sure we do have those extra layers of security for our students and for our staff members.' Sleight said the district is 95% done with fencing the appropriate schools, and that two-thirds of the schools now have secure vestibules. Dwight Rich should have its secure vestibule by the second semester. Visitors would get buzzed into the secure vestibule from the outside and then get buzzed into the office for checks before entering the rest of the building. 'Student and staff safety remains our top priority,' school board President Robin Moore said in a statement. 'The addition of cameras, fencing, window film, and secure vestibules reflects the district's ongoing commitment to protecting the well-being of the LSD community.' The district continues to work on drafting a comprehensive safety plan. 'There's currently an audit being done at every single school in conjunction with principals, our public safety department and our district leadership,' Sleight said. Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@ or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela. This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing school safety improvements include cameras, secure vestibules Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Bondi puts sanctuary cities nationwide on notice after DC police federal takeover
GREENVILLE, S.C. – U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, temporarily leading Washington, D.C.'s police at President Donald Trump's request, announced Thursday that she had sent letters giving sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide one week to comply with federal immigration laws or face Department of Justice action, contrasting South Carolina with Democratic states like New York and California. Bondi was in Greenville, South Carolina, on Thursday for a panel discussion with state Attorney General Alan Wilson, several members of Congress and local law enforcement agencies. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital moments before the announcement, Bondi responded to whether temporary federalization of local police departments could be done beyond D.C., such as in New York or elsewhere. "Oh, let's wait and see what's going to happen," Bondi told Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace. "But I just sent sanctuary city letters to 32 mayors around the country and multiple governors saying, 'you better be abiding by our federal policies and with our federal law enforcement, because if you aren't, we're going to come after you.' And they have, I think, a week to respond to me, so let's see who responds and how they respond." Bondi announced on social media that the DOJ has sent "demand letters" to sanctuary cities, counties and states as "a key step in our strategic effort to eradicate sanctuary policies from California to New York." Threatening lawsuits, she said that "any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court." After Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's primary win in June, the New York City Police Department reportedly saw retirement filings surge. Bondi, who criticized incumbent Mayor Eric Adams over the city's sanctuary status in the past, told Fox News Digital on Thursday it's crucial for officers' safety for them to have strong leadership. Adams has cooperated with border czar Tom Homan on federal immigration enforcement. "It starts at the top and our leaders have to support our law enforcement," Bondi told Fox News Digital. "They risk their lives every single day to keep us safe. There's no ordinary day in the life of a police officer nor for their families, because they leave the house every day, and they don't know what to expect. And our government, our leaders, have got to back them and that's got to happen in New York. We have got back our law enforcement. We've got to back the NYPD. We have to back all of our federal, state and local officers around this country." Wilson, meanwhile, noted that slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley's killer had been arrested in New York City and was released under the sanctuary policies there. "Obviously, here in South Carolina, we have excellent relationships, but it's also important that we support them in other states," Wilson told Fox News Digital. "Obviously, we all remember Laken Riley, a young woman in Georgia who was murdered. That individual had been arrested and released in New York state and then came to Georgia and committed that crime. So it affects us all when other states don't step up and are able to enforce the laws, it could have impacts on law enforcement in other states as well." Bondi highlighted one letter she sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in which she warned that "individuals operating under the color of law, using their official position to obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts and facilitating or inducing illegal immigration may be subject to criminal charges." The letter, which was shared on social media, said cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including on immigration enforcement, "is vital to enforce federal law and protect national security." "Under President Trump's leadership, full cooperation by state and local governments in immigration enforcement efforts is a top priority," Bondi wrote, saying Trump directed her to "identify sanctuary jurisdictions and notify them of their unlawful sanctuary status and potential violations of federal law." In Greenville on Thursday, Bondi pointed to South Carolina as a model of federal, state and local law enforcement "working hand in hand." Thanking Wilson for advocating for increased partnerships with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Marshals, Bondi told Fox News Digital a member of the Sinaloa Cartel was recently busted after "massive amounts" of cocaine were seized in Myrtle Beach. Wilson credited such strong cooperation to law enforcement recently being able to make the largest fentanyl seizure in South Carolina's history. Last month, DEA agents, Lexington County Sheriff's deputies, and South Carolina State Transport Police made two coordinated traffic stops in two South Carolina counties, resulting in 156 pounds of fentanyl being seized. Two brothers from California were arrested and indicted in connection with the case. The Justice Department said that seized fentanyl had the potential to kill 36 million people and a street retail value of $1.7 million. In her letter to Newsom, Bondi said Trump also directed federal agencies to evaluate their authority to issue grants, contracts and federal funds "to determine where immigration-related terms and conditions may be added to combat sanctuary policies." Noting that Congress has "codified the duty of states and local governments to cooperate in immigration enforcement efforts," the letter said Bondi ordered investigations to identify "any such potential unlawful conduct." Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Bondi's letter comes roughly a week after the DOJ identified nearly three dozen cities, states and counties across the country that it said were sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. Bondi said in a statement at the time that the cities and states, which mostly lean blue, have immigration policies that "impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design." "The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country," Bondi said. Four of the states on the DOJ's list – California, New York, Colorado and Illinois – have already faced lawsuits over their immigration policies. Others on the list include Delaware, Nevada, Minnesota and D.C. The lawsuit in Illinois is the furthest along in the court process and has not played out in DOJ's favor at this stage. A federal judge tossed out the Justice Department's claims, saying Illinois' state and local policies were protected by the Constitution and that the DOJ's lawsuit encroached on Illinois' sovereignty. The DOJ could still appeal the decision or amend its complaint.
USA Today
5 days ago
- USA Today
DC's highest crime neighborhoods have yet to see Trump crackdown
While Guardsmen were out in force on the tourist-friendly National Mall, there was little sign of troops and federal agents in some of Washington, DC's most crime-ridden neighborhoods. WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops has produced Humvees on the National Mall and roving bands of agents in tourist areas as part of his stated effort to crack down on crime in the nation's capital. But many residents of the city's highest-crime neighborhoods say they haven't yet seen the results of Trump's surge in the places it is needed the most. "He probably doesn't even know where Anacostia is," Charles Wilson, whose neighborhood has one of DC's highest rates of murder and violent crime. Wilson says the low-income area in DC's Ward 8 has endured several shootouts in which bullets struck houses, cars and even lodged in children's bedrooms in recent years. "I think this is all pomp and circumstance,' Wilson says, 'to distract people from everything else he is doing." As part of Trump's Aug. 11 campaign to take 'our capital back" from crime and the homeless the federal government has also seized control of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department. Some Anacostia residents welcome crime-fighting help from Trump Like others interviewed in Anacostia by USA TODAY the afternoon and night of Aug. 13, Wilson said he would welcome the presence of more law enforcement – as long as they're trained in community policing and there to help his neighborhood reduce crime and violence. More: How DC's unique status let Trump take control of police, deploy National Guard Wilson, 49, has lived in the Southeast DC community for over 20 years. On July 18, 2024, he was awakened at about 2:30 a.m. by what sounded like a war on his hilly suburban street just around the corner from the historic Frederick Douglass estate. When he obtained a neighbor's doorbell camera footage and posted it online, the video of two men running up and down his street shooting at each other for nearly a minute went viral. 'Hearing it was one thing, but watching it was something else,' said Wilson, a longtime community activist and chair of the DC Democratic Party. He said the issue isn't a political one; Democratic and Republican neighbors alike want to see the benefits of what Trump claims is a new campaign to improve the city. So far, he said, 'Nothing's new here. I don't see anything different.' 'I don't see anything being done here,' said longtime Anacostia resident Tina Harris as she walked along Marion Barry Avenue, named after the former DC mayor. 'I think it's clearly a diversion from the real issues,' including Trump's budget cuts for local social services and police, she said. Trump announced his actions to "to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse," after a high-profile assault on a former staffer of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), 19-year-old Edward Coristine, that occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 3. during an attempted carjacking. Mayor Muriel Bowser disputed Trump's justification for declaring a crime emergency, calling it a 'so-called emergency' and noting that crime has been trending down after spiking in 2023. But crime in Ward 8 – including homicide, motor vehicle theft, robbery and assaults with dangerous weapons – have historically been nearly twice that of any other ward of the city. A few blocks from Wilson's house, a Metropolitan Police Department cruiser sat parked at an intersection with its lights slowly flashing. The officer inside, like two other officers interviewed by USA TODAY throughout the evening, said he was just making his regular rounds and that he'd seen no uptick in law enforcement or military presence there or in neighboring Ward 7, another high-crime zone. All three officers declined to give their names, saying they weren't authorized to talk publicly. One of the officers, however, said that as a DC resident, he welcomed the extra resources Trump has authorized, which have also been supported by the police union. One Anacostia resident, standing outside his home and watching the cruiser, confirmed that the officer was a neighborhood beat cop – and that he's seen no additional MPD officers, federal agents or National Guard troops since Trump made his announcement, despite nightly gunshots, carjackings and other crime. He too declined to give his name, citing a pending background check for a job. Darrell Gaston, the chef and founder of nearby Kitchen Savages, showed USA TODAY the front windows of his upscale restaurant that he had to replace after they were shattered by a recent gun battle between the occupants of two cars. The wild shootout sent a street light careening into the eatery. Gaston, a four-term Advisory Neighborhood Commission member, said he'd seen some evidence of an uptick in security, including a few Guard troops and federal agents a block away. What he'd like to see instead, Gaston said, was more DC police officers 'who specialize in community engagement and in protecting communities, which hopefully does lead to a decrease in crime.' 'Moreover, hopefully it doesn't lead to an increase in the rights of citizens being violated,' Gaston said of Trump's surge. 'Because when MPD violates your rights, there's a protocol to follow for it to be addressed. If the FBI or the DEA violates your rights, who do you go to?' Ward 8 has seen an overall decline in violent crime this year, but homicides held steady at 38 compared with the same period in 2024, according to Metropolitan Police Department statistics. A swarm of federal agents closer to Capitol Hill Back across the Anacostia river near the Capitol, the rough-and-tumble H Street commercial and nightlife corridor appeared quiet the night of Aug. 13. It was the site of one of the attacks cited by Trump – the 2023 near-fatal stabbing of an aide to Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky 'by a demented lunatic as he walked down the street just absolutely for no reason.' The only visible security presence was the occasional MPD cruiser driving by. But shop owners and barflies said the area has been swarmed by federal agents and police late at night since Trump's announcement. Johnny Lu showed USA TODAY a video he took of a team of seven FBI, ICE and DEA agents patrolling the area late the night of Aug. 12, questioning and even arresting people for drinking and smoking marijuana in public. Lu welcomed the surge, saying he sees frequent shootings, stabbings, carjackings and robberies outside his Tiki Gardens restaurant. 'MPD is okay, and we have a good relationship with them. But not the feds, especially ICE,' Lu said of the corridor's merchants and residents. 'We've got to be worried about them.'
