country_cowboy1966
01-27-2009, 03:41 PM
CINCINNATI -- No charges will be filed in the death of an actress who fell to her death during a Christmas performance at an area church, prosecutors said.
Keri Shryock fell more than 20 feet during the Dec. 17 opening night of a Christmas show Crossroads Community Church and landed headfirst on the concrete floor, and she died the following day.
Shryock was playing the role of one of three wise men who were suspended by cables in the air over the audience, and she was wearing a long robe during the performance.
Hamilton County Coroner O’dell Owens said an investigation revealed that the 23-year-old’s costume prevented the harness, which was intended for rock climbing and not aerial stunts, from fully closing.
Owens said that Shryock hooked herself into the harness while the lights were down and apparently didn't realize there was a problem, and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he found no basis for any criminal charges under Ohio law.
Shryock, of Sylvania, Ohio, was a graduate student at Xavier University and a 2008 graduate of Bowling Green State University who worked with the XU Office of Commuter Services and Off Campus Living, where a co-worker said she designed computer programs for commuters.
The church canceled all remaining performances of "Awaited: A Christmas Show,” which was billed by Crossroads as a contemporary nativity story, involving dance, rhythmic movement and music, including a 100-person choir and full band.
The mega-church is known for dramatic and musical presentations at weekend services, and the church's Web site said "Awaited" was seen by more than 20,000 people when it first was presented last year.
Keri Shryock fell more than 20 feet during the Dec. 17 opening night of a Christmas show Crossroads Community Church and landed headfirst on the concrete floor, and she died the following day.
Shryock was playing the role of one of three wise men who were suspended by cables in the air over the audience, and she was wearing a long robe during the performance.
Hamilton County Coroner O’dell Owens said an investigation revealed that the 23-year-old’s costume prevented the harness, which was intended for rock climbing and not aerial stunts, from fully closing.
Owens said that Shryock hooked herself into the harness while the lights were down and apparently didn't realize there was a problem, and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said he found no basis for any criminal charges under Ohio law.
Shryock, of Sylvania, Ohio, was a graduate student at Xavier University and a 2008 graduate of Bowling Green State University who worked with the XU Office of Commuter Services and Off Campus Living, where a co-worker said she designed computer programs for commuters.
The church canceled all remaining performances of "Awaited: A Christmas Show,” which was billed by Crossroads as a contemporary nativity story, involving dance, rhythmic movement and music, including a 100-person choir and full band.
The mega-church is known for dramatic and musical presentations at weekend services, and the church's Web site said "Awaited" was seen by more than 20,000 people when it first was presented last year.