WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Clermont County — A Clermont County man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after deputies say a woman was shot in the shoulder during an early-morning incident on Ginn Road.
The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office said dispatchers received a call at around 2:20 a.m. Saturday, May 9, requesting medical help for a woman who had reportedly been shot in the 2100 block of Ginn Road in Washington Township.
Deputies arrived at about 2:30 a.m. and found Russell Gibbs, 36, and a 26-year-old woman walking in the roadway. The woman had suffered a single gunshot wound to her shoulder.
Washington Township EMS arrived minutes later and took the woman to Clermont Mercy Hospital. The sheriff’s office said her injuries were not life-threatening.
Detectives from the sheriff’s investigative unit were called to the scene. Investigators interviewed Gibbs, the victim and other witnesses, while also processing the area and searching a nearby residence.
According to the sheriff’s office, investigators determined there had been no altercation between the people involved. Detectives said the shooting appeared to have happened when Gibbs, who was reportedly intoxicated, was handling a firearm and it discharged.
Investigators also said Gibbs had hidden the gun in a nearby wooded area. Detectives later found and recovered the firearm.
Gibbs was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Clermont County Jail.
He has been charged with:
- Tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony
- Having weapons while under disability, a third-degree felony
- Using weapons while intoxicated, a first-degree misdemeanor
- Negligent assault, a third-degree misdemeanor
The sheriff’s office said Gibbs was being held without bond ahead of a scheduled arraignment in Clermont County Municipal Court on Monday, May 11.
Deputies have described the shooting as accidental, but the case still carries serious consequences. Under Ohio law, alcohol and firearms can turn a dangerous mistake into a criminal charge — and investigators say the allegation that the gun was hidden afterward added a felony evidence-tampering count.
