'We're going to find you': Police offer $5K reward after officers shot at in Clintonville

On Wednesday morning, Columbus police and the Fraternal Order of Police had a simple message for the people who fired multiple shots at officers in Clintonville: Turn yourself in.

"The reality is every patrol officer in this city will look for you," Capital City Lodge No. 9 Executive Vice President Brian Steel said. "We're going to find you. A SWAT team will soon be at your door. We will rip the front of that off of your house and bring you in to justice."

"I guarantee you cannot hide in this city," Steel said.

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The FOP and Central Ohio Crime Stoppers are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the people involved in the April 29 shooting in Clintonville.

Columbus police released body camera footage Wednesday from the incident, which occurred around 11 p.m. on April 29 near the intersection of Indianola Avenue and Cooke Road.

Officers had been called to break up a street takeover with upwards of 100 cars and several hundred people blocking traffic in the intersection and drag racing in the intersection, as well as stopping and vandalizing passing vehicles.

The body camera footage shows officers blocking traffic at other intersections to help clear the area of innocent bystanders before trying to engage and disperse the large group. As officers are getting out of their cruisers, multiple rounds can be heard in several volleys, coming toward the officers.

"This was a life-threatening situation, make no mistake about it," Deputy Chief Elrico Alli said, noting the restraint officers showed in not firing back because of the large crowds and number of bystanders in the area.

Images captured from videos taken at the scene by participants and bystanders show at least one person with a rifle standing on top of a vehicle. Police believe multiple shooters were involved and shell casings from multiple different weapon calibers were found at the scene.

Alli said the incident in Clintonville is one of multiple similar events that have occurred in other parts of the city, and with the summer months approaching, officers are concerned about the possibility of similar events in the future.

"Those bullets go somewhere," Alli said. "There could have been people killed."

Steel said there have been four incidents so far in 2023 in which Columbus police officers have been shot at, including two in the past two weeks.

In addition to the April 29 shooting, in March, a man outside a bar on the city's Northeast Side shot at officers who responded to the area before being shot and wounded by officers. On Saturday morning, officers in the Short North were shot at during an ongoing gun battle. And earlier this year, an officer's personal vehicle was shot at while parked in a police substation parking lot.

"It's in the criminal mind that it's OK to shooting at a police officer and nothing will happen," Steel said. "That's just not the case."

Anyone with information about the Clintonville shooting is asked to call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS, use the free P3 Tips mobile application or provide information online at www.stopcrime.org. Those submitting tips are completely anonymous, Crime Stoppers President Napoleon Bell said, and the reward is provided anonymously.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: $5K up for grabs for information on who shot at Columbus police