CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) – Newly released videos show the quick exchange of gunfire on Thursday between a Ross County deputy and a man, which led to one of their deaths.
The Ross County Sheriff’s Office gave the videos to NBC4, which were captured by a security camera and Sgt. Eric Kocheran’s body camera around 5 p.m. at its joint law enforcement center in Chillicothe. The videos, which have been edited together for clarity and viewer discretion, are below.
In the video, 42-year-old Nicholas Mitchell walked between two cars in the parking lot toward a garage door and entrance. He kept his hands in his pockets until he reached a window by the entrance door.
Mitchell then knocked on the window before pacing in the parking lot with his hands in his pockets again. The security camera showed Kocheran come down a hallway to open the door, and Mitchell walked back toward him. The security video did not have any audio, but Kocheran’s body camera did, and the two had a brief conversation while the deputy stood in the doorway.
“Um, can you help me out with something real quick?” Mitchell asked. “Can you get a couple more officers?”
“What’s going on?” Kocheran asked.
“Um, somebody said they’re going to hurt my family,” Mitchell said. “They wanted me to hurt kids, and I can’t do that.”
“Okay,” Kocheran said.
“So I gotta do this,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell then pulled out a gun, and Kocheran pulled the door back as a shield while drawing his gun. The deputy yelled at Mitchell multiple times, telling him to drop his weapon.
A bodycam still shows Nicholas Mitchell pointing a gun at Sgt. Eric Kocheran before opening fire. (Courtesy Photo/Ross County Sheriff’s Office) 
A still from the security camera shows the moment before a Ross County Deputy and Nicholas Mitchell exchanged gunfire on Nov. 17, 2022. (Courtesy Photo/Ross County Sheriff’s Office)
Mitchell paced left and right while Kocheran poked out from behind the door, and the two exchanged gunfire. The deputy’s body camera showed Mitchell shot first before Kocheran returned fire. At least eight shots rang out in the body camera audio.
Mitchell fell down after being shot and his gun flashed again as he collapsed. Kocheran then retreated back inside the building.
In a Friday update, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Mitchell had died of his injuries, while Kocheran remained at Grant Medical Center in Columbus in “serious condition.”
