911 call details moments before Columbus police fatally shoot armed robbery suspect
A woman watched in horror Wednesday morning as her boss was robbed at gunpoint by a man who would soon after be fatally shot by police, according to 911 calls released Friday.
The woman, who did not give her name to the dispatcher, called 911 just before 7 a.m. Wednesday from inside her office at the Franklin County auto title bureau office, 45 Great Southern Blvd., on the Far South Side.
More: Suspect dead, Columbus police officer injured in shooting on Far South Side
Her tone was calm as she told the dispatcher there was a young man with a gun in the parking lot, but her demeanor quickly changed once she realized who else was outside.
"Oh my God! He's pointed it... He is outside; I am inside. He is pointing it at the cars. He's pointing it at my boss," she said, her voice quickened and shaking.
The woman described the man whom Columbus police later identified as Austin Paige Huntzinger, 29, who she said got into her boss' car and started to drive away. She watched the carjacking take place, punctuating the occasional silence on the line with the phrase, "Oh, God."
Columbus police arrived at the scene as Huntzinger started to drive away.
"Police are here," the woman told the dispatcher. "Jesus, they caught him."
Almost as soon as police arrived, an exchange of gunfire could be heard in the background. Columbus police accuse Huntzinger of firing at officers once they arrived on the scene, hitting one in the leg. At least one officer returned fire, hitting Huntzinger.
The woman exclaimed once more and beckoned her boss back inside the title office.
More: Man killed by Columbus police Wednesday had complicated history with law enforcement
Huntzinger was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he died at 7:21 a.m. The injured officer is expected to make a full recovery.
Columbus police released Huntzinger's name Thursday morning, along with few details about two officers involved in the shooting: One is a 15-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police, and the other is a 12-year veteran of the department. Police are not releasing the officers' names, citing Marsy's Law, which aims to protect crime victims.
Police also denied The Dispatch's public records request for body camera footage of the shooting, also citing Marcy's Law and claiming the recording is defined as "restricted" because of its contents.
This is the second shooting involving Columbus police in August and the fourth since July 4. On July 6, a Columbus police officer was injured after being shot during an exchange of gunfire on Interstate 70, near West Mound Street.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 911 call: Suspect tried to steal a car before Columbus police shooting
