- A Republican State Senator and his wife from Ohio, Michael and Kelly Rulli are accused of shooting at a teenage boy and his girlfriend on their property
- Rulli fired shots in the early morning, claiming Hayden Cibula, 16, had been trespassing, but the teen insists he had permission to hunt on a neighbors land
- A special prosecutor found the Rulli’s actions ‘reasonable’ after claiming to fire into the ground and gave verbal warnings
An Ohio Republican State Senator and his wife have been accused of shooting at two teenagers who they spotted on their Columbiana County property but insist they fired into the ground.
Michael Rulli admits he fired with his pistol at what he believed to be people trespassing on his land on November 28, 2022, around 5:15am.
Rulli was outside his Salem, Ohio home at the time with his dogs when he heard rustling in nearby trees. He called out but there was no response, so he fired in the general direction of the noise.
But Hayden Cibula, 16, insists he was was fired upon by Rulli, while believing he was on land owned by Hayden’s uncle, Joe Kinirons, and thought he had permission to hunt.
The special prosecutor found Rulli’s actions were ‘reasonable’, and no charges were filed against him or Hayden, despite his findings that he was trespassing.
Hayden recounted how he believed he was several hundred yards away from Rulli’s property at the time of the shooting, but the senator contends the distance was just 15 yards away.
Hayden also claimed Rulli was trying to shoot directly at him and his girlfriend but Rulli maintains that he was only firing at the ground.
Later that evening, at around 7pm, a similar set of circumstances occurred.
This time, Kelly Rulli, Michael’s wife, was outside and heard noise coming from the same area as that morning.
She is alleged to have fired a shot at Hayden and three other Cibula family members as they returned to retrieve their tree stands and hunting gear.
The Cibulas, dispute Rulli’s claim that they both fired into the ground as a warning shot and insist they were shot at. Kelly Rulli also claims to have been standing on her front porch, and not close to where the Cibulas were walking.
Special prosecutor, Jay Macejko, found differences in the accounts but concluded that the Rullis’ actions were reasonable after they stressed how they fired into the ground and called out verbal warnings.
The prosecutor’s report emphasized the lack of credible evidence that the Rullis intentionally shot at the Cibulas.
No shell casings or bullets were recovered from either incident.
‘Mr. Rulli reported that he observed flashlights and heard rustling on his property near a treeline,’ the special counsel’s report details.
‘Mr. Rulli yelled to the individuals but heard no response. Mr. Rulli reports that he returned the dogs to the house and exited his home with a handgun. He continued yelling and fires one shot into the ground.
‘There is simply no credible evidence present at the time of this review that either member of the Rulli family ‘shot at’ anyone,’ Macejko wrote.
He concluded the Rullis’ actions were ‘reasonable,’ saying they called out warnings and had a ‘subjective fear’ in the moment.
‘While one should always be cautious and certain when discharging a firearm, doing so into the ground – even if unwise – is not unlawful harassment or otherwise illegal in this case,’ Macejko wrote.
Despite the discrepancies and the proximity of the hunting setup to the property boundary, the special prosecutor deemed the Rullis’ actions to be reasonable under the circustances.
Despite no criminal charges being filed, both Hayden and Ashley Cibula remain adamant that the Rullis fired at them.
They maintain they were on their uncle’s property, where they had permission to be, and were hundreds of yards away from the Rulli’s property. They say the Rulli’s actions were reckless.
‘It was really reckless,’ Hayden Cibula said to Cleveland.com. ‘There was no reason to shoot. He could have came down to talk to us. But there was no reason to shoot.’
Hayden insists Rulli ‘was really trying to shoot at us.’
‘All of a sudden, a gun is fired at us, again. She is screaming, “Get off my property”,’ Ashley Cibula said of Mrs Rulli’s firing. ‘We were all shot at. Me, my husband, and my two sons.
‘We’re just normal citizens who were shot at by someone who thinks they’re above the law,’ she said.
Rulli, meanwhile, has asserted his right to defend his property and family noting how he has received similar threats in connection to his political work as an Ohio State Senator since winning his seat in 2018.
‘No one was hurt, and the incident was fully investigated by a special prosecutor from outside of the county, who found there were no grounds to press charges,’ Rulli said.
‘It’s my God-given right to defend my property and family, and I will continue advocating for it.’
Both families have been left upset following the incidents with the Cibulas expressing their frustration over their belief Rulli was acting above the law.