PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Two Wood County sheriff’s deputies accused of wrongdoing in a June shooting have been cleared.
A grand jury special session made that determination this week for Deputies Turner and Cross, according to a release from the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.
The deputies responded on June 6 to a reported domestic altercation between a father and son in Waverly. Franklin Phillips was shot by deputies after officers attempted to arrest Phillips on outstanding warrants for obstructing an officer, worthless checks and disorderly conduct.
Phillips met the deputies on the porch brandishing what appeared to be two handguns. The incident lead to a multi-hour standoff. Phillips was shot in the torso and leg. He was taken to the hospital.
The grand jury considered evidence from the lead investigator for the West Virginia State Police along with witness statements and the completed report and found the officers’ actions were justified and no criminal charges would be filed against them.
Phillips was indicted in September on five counts of assault on a law enforcement officer and one count each of making terroristic threats and obstructing an officer. He remains in custody at the North Central Regional Jail on $77,500 bond.