Autopsy: Man shot 6 times by Columbus police officers following armed car theft
A man who was shot by Columbus police officers during an incident outside a Franklin County auto title bureau office in August was shot six times, according to an autopsy report.
Austin Paige Huntzinger, 29, died Aug. 11 after being shot around 7:20 a.m. at a shopping center on the Far South Side. Columbus police said Huntzinger, who had attempted to steal a car at gunpoint in the parking lot minutes earlier, began firing at officers once they arrived on the scene and hitting one in the leg. At least one officer returned fire, hitting Huntzinger.
More: 911 call details moments before Columbus police fatally shoot armed robbery suspect
The autopsy report, released late Monday afternoon by the Franklin County Coroner's office, described six gunshot wounds: one to the left shoulder, one to the buttock, one to the lower back, one to the hip and two grazing his left hand and right ankle. The bullets struck both lungs, heart, liver, spleen, stomach, diaphragm and left kidney.
A toxicology report found Huntzinger's blood and urine tested positive for nicotine, cocaine and marijuana.
Police have not released the name of the two officers involved citing Marsy’s Law — a state law created to protect the victims of violent crimes that has been recently used to shield officer identities, with mixed reactions from the public — but said one is a 15-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police, and the other is a 12-year veteran of the department.
More: Man killed by Columbus police Wednesday had complicated history with law enforcement
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Autopsy shows shot 6 times by Columbus police during August car theft
