Bodycam footage shows Ohio officers fatally shooting Black man in his bed
Ohio police released body camera footage this week showing officers fatally shooting an unarmed 20-year-old Black man who was asleep when they broke into his room.
Several officers with the Columbus Police Department broke into the home of Donovan Lewis around 2:28 a.m. on Tuesday for the execution of a felony search warrant.
Outside the apartment, police shouted repeatedly for the occupants to come outside, leading to the arrest of two people who exited with their hands up.
Officers questioned the suspects and said they were “looking for Donovan.” When he didn’t show, they walked inside the apartment and toward the bedroom where he was sleeping.
Ricky Anderson, a canine officer and a 30-year veteran with the department, opened the bedroom door while positioned to the side, his firearm raised and his police dog barking loudly in front of him.
When the door opened, Lewis sat up quickly in confusion. Lewis was not armed, although he may have been holding a vape that police mistook for a firearm.
Anderson fired one shot, striking Lewis in an unidentified area on the body. Unconscious, Lewis was transported to a local hospital, where he was reported deceased at 3:19 a.m.
Another body camera angle sent to The Hill was taken from Anderson’s perspective. It shows the officer hurrying into the apartment with his police dog and firing immediately once the door swings open.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has launched an investigation into the shooting, according to a news release.
National civil rights attorney Ben Crump tweeted that “within seconds” of opening the bedroom door, officers fired.
“Police reportedly mistook a vape in the hand of the unarmed young Black man as a weapon,” Crump wrote. “This is just the most recent of many fatal police shootings committed by Columbus police involving unarmed citizens — including Andre Hill! The pattern and practices of this police department MUST be reformed!”
Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer in December 2020, nine seconds after officers confronted him in a garage. Hill was unarmed, holding a hand to his side and a phone in the other hand.
Columbus officers also shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant last year, firing after she swung a knife at another person.
Lewis had an outstanding warrant for domestic violence, assault and the improper handling of a firearm, according to the Columbus Dispatch. He also had a girlfriend who is pregnant with his child.
An attorney for the Lewis family, Rex Elliott, said at a Thursday news conference there was “no question” that Anderson was guilty.
“Donovan was alone, in his room, in his bed,” Elliott said. “Donovan was unarmed and abiding by police commands to come out of the room when he was shot in cold blood by Officer Anderson.”
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther (D) tweeted Thursday that he was “committed to full transparency” on the shooting.
“That is why we released the body-worn camera footage and details of the arrest warrant within roughly 12 hours of the incident,” he wrote. “The state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating, but a thorough accounting takes time. Chief [Elaine] Bryant and I join Donovan’s family as they grieve, and we echo their calls for peace.”
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