Ohio cop returns to duty after grand jury clears him in OIS case

By Wayne Baker Dayton Daily News

KETTERING, Ohio — After a Montgomery County grand jury declined to indict Kettering police officer Matthew Stull, who shot and wounded a man during a June traffic stop, Stull has returned to full-duty.

“He returned to full duty on Aug. 30,” Lt. Michael Gabrielson told this news organization Wednesday afternoon.

The grand jury reviewed evidence and heard testimony regarding the June 21 incident in Kettering that involved a passenger in a vehicle being shot after a short foot chase following a routine traffic stop.

Wayne Morgan, 31, was shot by Stull in Dayton when he refused an order to drop a handgun, Kettering Police Chief Christopher “Skip” Protsman said at the time, while releasing video footage of the incident.

Morgan was a passenger in a vehicle that fled a traffic stop at Smithville Road and Ewalt Avenue near the Kettering and Dayton border. Morgan ran from the vehicle, and Stull gave chase into Dayton. The driver of the stopped vehicle was not detained and was released at the scene.

The Montgomery County grand jury report only referred to the officer as John Doe, but Kettering police had identified the officer who shot Morgan on South Smithville Road as Stull. He joined the Kettering Police Department in May 2015 and has eight years experience in law enforcement. He previously worked for Beavercreek and Sugarcreek Twp. police departments.

His reviews while serving in Kettering reveal that he has consistently been graded as an officer who performs at the “Above Standards,” or “Outstanding” levels ranging in topics from job knowledge to quality of work.

Stull’s strongest assets, according to his personnel reviews from his supervisors, included his ability to successfully make drug arrests and also being “calm, confident and comfortable making patrol decisions in the field.”

Morgan, who was hit in the arm and side in the shooting, is no longer listed as an inmate in the Montgomery County Jail.