Case closed on Findlay officer-involved fatal shooting

FINDLAY — The investigation into an officer-involved shooting that resulted in a man's death on Cherry Lane in Findlay in October 2025 has officially been closed. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted the initial investigation and presented its evidence to the Hancock County Prosecutor's Office. "After careful review of all the facts and evidence, I have concluded that the application of the use of deadly force by city of Findlay Police officers Ryan Hackworth and John Schmidt was objectively reasonable under the circumstances as defined by Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985) and Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989)," Hancock County Prosecutor Sean Abbott announced via release Friday. "Therefore, our office will not be presenting this matter to the Hancock County grand jury and this investigation will be considered closed." Findlay police officers were dispatched to 1649 Cherry Lane to investigate a 911 call of a shooting on Oct. 22, 2025. Upon arrival, officers determined the phone call originated from 1642 Cherry Lane and approached the home to investigate. While approaching the home, Robert Norton, 90, opened the front door of the residence and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at Schmidt, then at Hackworth. At an Oct. In response, Schmidt fired four rounds while Hackworth fired approximately three rounds, the release states. Norton was struck twice in the torso and once in the thigh, it states. The firearm brandished by Norton was determined to be a Daisy Phantom BB/Pellet handgun. A suicide note was found on a counter in the residence, and police determined through further investigation Norton had recently attempted additional efforts to end his own life. Norton was treated at the scene by Findlay police, Findlay Fire Department and Hanco EMS before being transported to Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay, where he was pronounced dead. Neither Hackworth or Schmidt were injured during the incident. 'Suicide by cop' After conducting interviews with neighbors, Findlay police concluded no shots had been fired in the vicinity prior to the incident. Findlay Police Chief James Mathias said all evidence gathered on Oct. 24, 2025, pointed to the situation being a "completed suicide by cop." "The male suspect made a pretty poor decision that ended up costing him his life," Mathias said at the time. He said Norton's wife died in early October, and they had both been away from the residence for some time before the Wednesday incident. The Police Executive Research Forum defines suicide by cop as an encounter in which a suicidal person attempts to die by suicide by making a law enforcement officer use lethal force. The research forum's website states suicidal people may taunt the officer, run towards them or point a toy gun at them to insist on the deadly action. "I'm proud of these officers," Mathias said at the press conference, "and the personnel of the Findlay Police Department." The fatal shooting occurred almost exactly one year after the last Findlay police officer-involved shooting, which happened Oct. 28, 2024, when 17-year-old Kalvin Darapheth was killed by officers after firing a stolen handgun at them near Bernard Park. Police had been dispatched there for a report of underage drinking. Saige Thornley contributed reporting to this story.