At about 10:30 p.m. on December 11th, a group of cops calling themselves the U.S. 23 Task Force swarmed the residence and prepared to break in and capture people for possessing drugs. One of the officers, Sgt. Brett McKnight, an 11-year-veteran of the Ross County Sheriff’s Office, negligently handled his weapon and fired a round through the exterior wall of the mobile home.
The bullet traveled into the residence and struck a woman sitting on a couch. Krystal Marie Barrows, 35, of Chillicothe, was “in critical condition” and flown by helicopter to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, where she died the following day.
No one inside the home fired back, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. Six individuals were arrested for prohibition crimes.
Ross County Prosecutor Matt Schmidt said the round was not intentionally fired, and it’s unclear whether the gunfire was the result of a weapon malfunction or user error.
It would be impossible for a “malfunction” to wound Barrows if Sgt. McKnight were following basic safety guidelines. The muzzle of his gun should not be aiming at a home, nor should his finger have been near the trigger. By his negligence alone did Barrows get shot.
Krystal Barrows was the mother of three sons ages 9, 14 and 19. The Columbus Dispatch reported that she had no criminal record in Ross County aside from a misdemeanor conviction for disorderly conduct by intoxication.
Sgt. Brett McKnight has been placed on leave. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is looking into the incident.
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