Police release more details about shooting of state health official's home

UPPER ARLINGTON — Upper Arlington police are continuing to investigate after a state health official's home was shot at over the weekend. Police received two phone calls about shots being fired on the 1700 block of Berkshire Drive around 8 p.m. Saturday. Around 20 minutes after the shots were fired, a person who lives at the home called police on a non-emergency line to report the incident. The man said there appear to have been two shots, with at least one going through the front door and into the home. A neighbor also called and said they heard two shots. The house belongs to Dr. Mary Kathleen Francis, the assistant medical director for the Ohio Department of Health. Police said in a release it was too early to tell if the incident is related to Francis's role at the health department. Francis was not home when the shooting happened and no injuries were reported. On the call placed from Francis's home, the person on the call said there had not been any problems with anyone that could have escalated into shots being fired. Upper Arlington police are asking anyone with information about Saturday's shooting, security cameras with video of the incident or who may have seen suspicious behavior in the area to contact detective Matt Smith at 614-583-5175. Francis has mostly stayed behind the scenes in her role with her supervisor, medical director Bruce Vanderhoff, appearing during Gov. Mike DeWine's COVID-19 briefings. If the shooting is tied to Francis's position, she would not be the first public health official to be targeted since the beginning of the pandemic nearly a year ago. Dr. Amy Acton, who served as the state's health director, resigned in June after she received threats and protesters, some armed, showed up outside her Bexley home to protest. Acton, who is Jewish, also faced anti-Semitic comments during her time in office. DeWine publicly defended Acton, often calling on protesters to direct their frustrations at him rather than her. A spokesman for the governor's office declined to comment on the shooting Monday. DeWine had chosen Dr. Joan Duwve to replace Acton, but Duwve withdrew her name from consideration for the job hours after she was announced. She said at the time the decision was made after learning about the harassment Acton and her family faced. Before the pandemic, it was rare for public health officials to receive threats, said Beth Bickford, executive director of the Association of Ohio Health Commissioners. While the reason for the shooting remains unclear, Bickford said it follows after a year of harsh criticism and attacks on public health leaders. Many public health officials have been fired or have decided to leave their positions rather than deal with the harassment, Bickford said. "Certainly we understand an investigation is underway and we're not sure what the full situation is yet. But, we do know there has been criticism and comments directed at both local and state health officials," Bickford said. "It's been very difficult to deal with those things. The public health system is doing it's best." ___ (c)2021 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at www.dispatch.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.