COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A veteran Ohio trooper who has since been demoted violated State Highway Patrol policies when he picked up two teenage murder suspects on a highway and gave them a ride to a nearby truck stop where police say they shot and injured a man, according to the report from the internal investigation.

Jeff Shane broke agency rules by not patting down the teens for weapons and getting their names to check against outstanding warrants when he picked them up on an Interstate 70 ramp July 27 after their vehicle ran out of gas. The 17- and 18-year-old were wanted in the slaying of a Columbus convenience store clerk, and the car had been reported stolen.

Shortly after the trooper dropped them off, the teens shot and injured a man and stole his car, authorities said.

Shane told investigators that the teens had struck him as “just two decent guys.”