Middletown officers won’t face charges in deadly February shooting

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WXIX) - No charges will be filed against two Middletown officers for a deadly shooting in late February.

The officers’ use of deadly force in the Feb. 25 shooting of 47-year-old Victor Lykins was deemed reasonable by the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, Prosecutor David Fornshell announced Friday.

The shooting happened after a Middletown officer pulled over a 2008 Jeep Commander for an improper turn around 5:30 p.m., according to Fornshell.

The driver of the Jeep pulled into the parking lot of the Walmart on Towne Boulevard.

Lykins, who was a passenger in the Jeep, gave the officers false identity information, Fornshell said. As the officers would later learn once they had Lykins’ correct ID information, he had a warrant out for his arrest, the prosecutor explained.

A second officer soon arrived at the scene and began talking with Lykins, who was still in the Jeep, Fornshell said.

Lykins refused to get out of the vehicle and displayed a gun, which prompted a struggle as the officer tried to get the weapon away from him, the prosecutor said.

The driver of the Jeep later told investigators that Lykins said he would not go back to jail and he would kill himself first, Fornshell said.

The other officer on scene saw what was going on and feared for his partner’s safety, so he fired two shots at Lykins, according to Fornshell.

Lykins died at the scene.

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