COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The pursuit of answers in the police-involved shooting death of Henry Green continues. A grand jury did not return an indictment before it disbanded Friday.
People’s Justice Project organizer Tammy Fournier-Alsaada has followed the Henry Green case for months. She says, “The grand jury process is secretive. We don’t get a lot of information about the testimony or how these witnesses are being vetted.” Her group wants grand jury proceedings unsealed given the high-profile nature of this case. She echoed the sentiments Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther expressed Friday. He said, “The proceedings of the grand jury should be unsealed, and the results of the police investigation should be made public as soon as the law allows.”
Franklin County Common Pleas Administrative Judge Stephen L. McIntosh tells NBC4 grand jury proceedings that do not produce an indictment must remain sealed according to Ohio law. He says there is no opportunity for appeal or court discretion when an indictment is not filed.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien says much of the information considered by the grand jury is contained in a Columbus Police investigation file. A spokesperson from Mayor Ginther’s Office confirms that file is now public record since the investigation and grand jury proceedings are now complete.
The Columbus Chapter of the NAACP has filed a public records request for this information. The group is calling for more transparency in this case. NBC4 has also filed a request for this information that is said to be hundreds of pages long. Fournier-Alsaada says she hopes this new information can explain what led up to gunfire exchange and the death of Henry Green, “We also need to know what the officers were thinking. It was broad daylight. Children were playing. We were within a block of a school.”