By Sheila McLaughlin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A 42-year-old man who was fatally shot by Blue Ash police officers after a pursuit had nearly three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, the Hamilton County Coroner's Office reported Friday.

Tests showed that Anthony R. Myers, of North College Hill, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.22, coroner's spokesman Terry Daly said. But Myers' family said the coroner's finding does not justify his death.

"I think he definitely made a mistake, but I still don't think he should be dead. If anything, he should be sitting in jail right now," said Myers' stepson Steven Ford. "I'm not going to say it's OK that it was that high, but I'm not going to focus on Tony. I have to focus on the two guys that shot him ... regardless of how intoxicated he was."

Ford, who was at the residence his mother and Myers shared, said the family had not been informed of the autopsy findings.

Ford's mother, Donna, who had married Myers a year ago, declined an interview because she was too upset.

E-mail smclaughlin@enquirer.com