Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks has determined that the July 26, 2020, Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) of Christopher Sheahan by Reno Police Officer Richard Jager was accidental and therefore lacking the willful mental state required for criminal liability.
Consistent with this office’s ongoing public reporting on all OIS cases, District Attorney Hicks has released a detailed 20-page report containing the facts of the case, photographs, identification of those involved, witness accounts, and the legal analysis supporting the case’s conclusion. This determination is based on an extensive review of the investigation conducted by the Sparks Police Department, which was submitted to this office.
The publication of this OIS Report was delayed until the ongoing criminal prosecution of Shehan, stemming from the incident that led to the OIS, reached conclusion. The purpose of that delay was to maintain the integrity of the legal proceedings against Sheahan and aligns with our standard practice in such cases.
Inquiries regarding the release of any public records involving the investigation and its evidence can be directed to the involved law enforcement agencies.
Introduction of the Report:
On Sunday, July 26, 2020, at approximately 8:35 a.m., Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy George Cholico (hereafter, “Deputy Cholico”) was traveling southbound on S. Virginia Street at the intersection with Sierra Center Parkway. Ahead of him at the intersection, Ms. Shannon Segerer (hereafter, “Ms. Segerer”) was facing eastbound on Sierra Center Parkway and stopped at a red light preparing to turn south. Christopher Sheahan (hereafter, “Sheahan”) was facing westbound on Sierra Center Parkway, preparing to turn south. Sheahan was in his blue Jeep Liberty and had already entered partway into the intersection.
As Ms. Segerer waited for Sheahan to make the turn, Sheahan waved for Ms. Segerer to proceed. She shook her head in the negative since she did not have the right-of-way. This caused Sheahan to become visibly upset and he began waiving his hands at the woman.
In response, Ms. Segerer proceeded to make the turn. At the same time, Sheahan sped up and drove towards Ms. Segerer, almost striking her vehicle and causing her to swerve out of the way. Ms. Segerer immediately pulled her vehicle over to the right shoulder. Sheahan stopped in the number two travel lane adjacent to her, which blocked the traffic behind him, and continued to wave his arms at the other driver who then called 911. It was at this time that Deputy Cholico approached.
Deputy Cholico did not observe the initial encounter, and as he passed the intersection, he observed Ms. Segerer pull over and act “frantic.” Deputy Cholico also observed Sheahan stopped in the travel lane near Ms. Segerer, who was waving her hands and pointing at Sheahan. Given this scenario, he assumed that the vehicles had been in a crash.
As Deputy Cholico was pulling into the area, Sheahan began driving away, continuing southbound on S. Virginia Street. Deputy Cholico followed and activated his patrol vehicle’s overhead lights. Sheahan responded by turning left into the parking lot of the Kay Martin Lodge, at 6950 S. Virginia St. He ultimately stopped his vehicle facing south in the parking lot, directly in front of a motel room.
Immediately upon stopping, Sheahan exited his vehicle and was instructed by Deputy Cholico to “Stay in the car.” Sheahan initially sat back in the car but then stood back up. Deputy Cholico told him to stay in the vehicle, but Sheahan did not heed the commands. Deputy Cholico noted Sheahan’s considerable size, later describing him as “very large” and “muscular.” Not wanting to make physical contact with Sheahan alone, he requested expedited backup due to Sheahan’s erratic and aggressive behavior.
Sheahan told Deputy Cholico that he had some mental issues and continued to disobey the officer’s commands to stay in the car. As a result, Deputy Cholico drew his Taser2. Sheahan then advanced towards Deputy Cholico resulting in commands for Sheahan to “get down on the ground” and “stay there on the ground.” Sheahan briefly knelt, then stood back up, telling Deputy Cholico that “I gotta go” and moved back toward his vehicle. As he did, Deputy Cholico commanded him to “Stay right there” and “Do not go anywhere.” Sheahan continued his erratic behavior by turning back around and moving toward Deputy Cholico multiple times. Deputy Cholico continued to order him to stay stationary, but Sheahan would comply only momentarily. This back-and-forth continued for several minutes, during which time Sheahan would refuse to follow commands, pace aggressively, remove and replace clothing items, and argue that he needed to leave the scene.
Other law enforcement officers from both the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (hereinafter “WCSO”) and the Reno Police Department (hereinafter “RPD”) began arriving on the scene. In order to help manage the situation, they drew a combination of Tasers, a 40mm foam gun, and a firearm, and partially surrounded Sheahan, who was continuing to display erratic behavior.
Deputy Cholico believed that Sheahan was not going to comply with further officer commands given his repeated behavior during the minutes-long ordeal so, upon obtaining a clear shot at Sheahan’s back, he deployed his Taser. One of the two Taser probes missed Sheahan and inadvertently struck Reno Police Officer Richard Jager (hereafter, “Officer Jager”) who was across from Sheahan and acting as lethal cover should lethal force become necessary. The Taser probe embedded in Officer Jager’s left knee, causing him to flinch and inadvertently fire a single shot from his firearm. The shot struck Sheahan in his right shoulder and he began to walk away. Seeing this, the law enforcement personnel on scene ordered Sheahan to stop and move to the ground. Sheahan complied and was given emergency first aid until emergency medical personnel arrived. Sheahan was ultimately treated for a gunshot wound to his upper right shoulder and survived.
Consistent with the regionally adopted Officer Involved Shooting (hereafter “OIS”) Protocol, Sparks Police Department (hereafter “SPD”) led the investigation into the shooting of Sheahan. The WCSO provided secondary investigative support, and the Washoe County Crime Laboratory (hereinafter “WCCL”) provided forensic services. The investigation included interviews with witnesses, involved officers, scene photographs, collection of evidence, a review of relevant medical records, a review of video evidence, and the forensic testing of collected evidence.
All final OIS investigative reports, along with FIS forensic reports, photographs, BWC footage and recorded interviews were subsequently submitted to the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office for review. No criminal charges were requested by SPD for Officer Jager.
Prior to the OIS case submittal, a criminal case against Sheahan was submitted to this office in September 2020. To ensure the integrity of this criminal case, and consistent with this Office’s common practice, the OIS review was held in abeyance pending the outcome of Sheahan’s criminal case. In February of 2022, Sheahan was found guilty of one count of Resisting a Public Officer and ultimately sentenced to a day in the Washoe County Jail.
The District Attorney’s Office is tasked with reviewing the shooting of Christopher Sheahan by RPD Officer Richard Jager in accordance with Nevada law. This evaluation included reviewing hundreds of pages of reports and documents which included interviews of police and civilian witnesses, photographs, BWC footage, 911 calls, video surveillance and examination of the scene of the shooting. This report follows.
Excerpt from Analysis:
After considering the statements by law enforcement officials on scene, the statements of independent witnesses observing the encounter, the officer body-worn camera footage, photographs, and the forensic analysis of the evidence, it is apparent that Officer Jager fired his weapon inadvertently after being struck by the Taser probe and flinching. Officer Jager lacked a willful intent to shoot Sheahan. Rather, his actions were the result of an accident, done without any evil design or intention. Absent the union of both the unlawful act and the requisite intent, no crime was committed in this circumstance. Under controlling Nevada law, the result of the accidental discharge of his firearm does not support the pursuit of criminal charges.
Unless new circumstances come to light that contradict the factual foundation upon which this decision was made, this case is officially closed. Copies of all completed OIS reports are available on the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office’s website at washoelife.washoecounty.gov/ois-reports/
