Mantua Township resident Charles Sharp III was killed in a police involved shooting outside his home last month after reporting that there were intruders on his property. Recordings of his 911 call have now been released, along with body-camera footage from the responding officer who fatally shot Sharp.
According to a recording released by the state attorney general’s office, Sharp called 911 on Sept. 14 at 1:45 a.m. and claimed one of the intruders on his property had a gun. He also claimed to have his own handgun.
“One of them definitely had a gun,” Sharp told a dispatcher. “It was silver; the moonlight came off it. I don’t know what type, but it was a handgun.”
In the body-camera footage, Sharp is told by police to put down his weapon, which he had described to the dispatcher multiple times as “45,” referring to a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun, according to authorities. The footage then shows the officer firing multiple times at Sharp.
“He’s got a gun on him,” the officer who fired the shots told colleagues on the scene seconds after Sharp was shot. That officer, who has yet to be identified, said he didn’t know Sharp’s location at that point, but added, “The guy came out, pointed a gun.”
A “detailed replica” of a .45 caliber, semi-automatic handgun was found near Sharp’s body, according to the attorney general.
Sharp’s exchange with the 911 dispatcher lasted five minutes, with Sharp reportedly unresponsive at the end of the call. A person demanding Sharp “put the gun down” can be heard on the recording before shots are heard.
Mantua police officers responded to Sharp’s injuries at his home before he was transferred to Jefferson Washington Township Hospital, where he died within an hour.
No other information on the case was released and Mantua police have not made a public statement.
In his obituary, Sharp, 49, was described as a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the military for 21 years. A Mantua native, he is survived by a son and three siblings.
“Chuck was a funny guy and always knew how to make you laugh and could always put a smile on your face,” the obituary stated.
Donations in Sharp’s name be made to the Wounded Warrior Project and pawshealingheroes.org, according to the obituary.
