Columbus faith leaders, community officials react to Donovan Lewis shooting

Micah Walker, The Columbus Dispatch
·5 min read
Donovan Lewis, 20, was fatally shot by Columbus police officer Ricky Anderson early Tuesday morning.
Donovan Lewis, 20, was fatally shot by Columbus police officer Ricky Anderson early Tuesday morning.

Local faith and city leaders are speaking out after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Donovan Lewis by Columbus police officer Ricky Anderson early Tuesday morning.

The Rev. Susan Smith of Crazy Faith Ministries said she is getting tired of seeing Black men killed at the hands of police. She said she sees a pattern with Columbus police of shooting first and asking questions later.

"I know people say they have split seconds to make decisions, but ... it just doesn't hold water for me," Smith said.

Around 2 a.m. Tuesday, multiple Columbus police officers went to Lewis' apartment on the Hilltop in an effort to arrest him. Lewis had outstanding warrants for domestic violence, assault and felony improper handling of a firearm.

Body camera footage shows several officers at Lewis' door, knocking for eight to 10 minutes, and identifying themselves as Columbus police. After minutes of knocking, two men then opened the door and were detained by police.

Columbus police body camera footage shows the shooting of Donovan Lewis, 20, who later died at a local hospital. Video shows Columbus K-9 officer Ricky Anderson and other officers inside the second-floor apartment of a three-story building on Sullivant Avenue searching for Lewis, who was wanted on several outstanding warrants.
Columbus police body camera footage shows the shooting of Donovan Lewis, 20, who later died at a local hospital. Video shows Columbus K-9 officer Ricky Anderson and other officers inside the second-floor apartment of a three-story building on Sullivant Avenue searching for Lewis, who was wanted on several outstanding warrants.

A Columbus K-9 unit then cleared the apartment, and the dog flagged that there was someone in a bedroom. Anderson, the dog handler, leashed the dog and then opened the door. A split second later, he fired a gunshot, striking Lewis in the abdomen.

Lewis was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he died at 3:19 a.m.

More:Columbus police release body camera footage of fatal police shooting in the Hilltop

More:Weekend protests, radio forum planned in response to Donovan Lewis police shooting

Crazy Faith Ministries pastor believes police not held accountable for actions

The Rev. Susan K. Smith, founder of Crazy Faith Ministries in Columbus, said she is getting tired of seeing Black men killed at the hands of police.
The Rev. Susan K. Smith, founder of Crazy Faith Ministries in Columbus, said she is getting tired of seeing Black men killed at the hands of police.

Smith said Black people are not safe under the watch of the police.

"Too often they have been able to shoot and kill people and get away with it," Smith said. "Not being held accountable just by saying 'I was in fear.' Those are the magic words."

She stressed that it's not all police officers, but enough police officers that it ruins the reputation of an entire police department.

"I'm just really tired," Smith said.

Smith said she will probably participate in one of the scheduled protests this weekend, but doesn't believe they will change much within the police department. She said police will continue to justify their actions.

"You just never hear them say, 'Oops, sorry!' Never, ever, ever," Smith said. "There isn't anything that I think law enforcement will listen to."

More:Columbus Urban League plans Saturday forum after fatal police shooting of Donovan Lewis

Family Missionary Baptist Church pastor wants faith leaders, police to work together

The Rev. Frederick LaMarr, posing for a portrait at Family Missionary Baptist Church in 2021, believes Columbus police led a "good faith effort" of attempting the arrest warrant.
The Rev. Frederick LaMarr, posing for a portrait at Family Missionary Baptist Church in 2021, believes Columbus police led a "good faith effort" of attempting the arrest warrant.

The Rev. Frederick LaMarr, pastor of Family Missionary Baptist Church in the Southern Orchards neighborhood, said his initial reaction to the body camera video of the Lewis shooting was that he couldn't understand why Lewis did not come out of his room when police told him to.

LaMarr also wondered about the amount of training Anderson had, but overall believes Columbus police led a "good faith effort" of attempting the arrest warrant.

"But I would question, 'What is the procedure?' And if the procedure warrants what he (Anderson) did, then the procedure warrants what he did," he said. "It's unfortunate, my heart goes out to a lost loved one."

LaMarr will be one of the speakers involved in a radio forum Saturday hosted by the Columbus Urban League to discuss the shooting. The event will run from 10-11:30 a.m. and will broadcast on WCKX-FM (106.3/107.5) and WXMG-FM (95.5).

He said he hopes fellow faith leaders and the community can work together with police in the effort to deescalate situations.

"We can work together as a community and get some kind of halfway mark to where it doesn't warrant the police officers always responding.

First Congregational Church minister says shooting was 'senseless loss of life'

The Rev. Tim Ahrens, senior minister at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Downtown Columbus, said the shooting resulted in a "senseless loss of life."
The Rev. Tim Ahrens, senior minister at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Downtown Columbus, said the shooting resulted in a "senseless loss of life."

The Rev. Tim Ahrens said he also believes Columbus police were following procedure when attempting to arrest Lewis and that officers tried to get him to come out of the room prior to the shooting. The senior minister at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Downtown Columbus also acknowledged the transparency of the police department by releasing the body camera footage.

However, he said, the video was terrifying and raises more questions than answers. Ahrens said the shooting resulted in a "senseless loss of life."

"I'm aware that one man's life ended and his whole family is forever changed," he said. "And all of the officers involved also, their lives are forever changed and so are their families. It's such a devastating reality to witness a moment where life is taken and life has changed."

Ahrens said he hopes Columbus police will be a trustworthy source throughout the investigation.

"That's part of what has happened over the last number of years is that we've lost the trust that we should have for those who are leading the way in investigating the kind of shootings that have happened," he said.

Ahrens said he will pray for Lewis' family and hopes to eventually talk to them.

"I've been with families who have been gunned down by police officers ... and this is one of the most horrifying truths of times we're living in," he said. "It's absolutely devastating. Absolutely devastating."

Columbus City Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council respond to shooting

The Columbus NAACP shared a statement from Columbus City Council on its Facebook page Thursday, which said members of the council are "beyond frustrated" with the death of Lewis and that thoughts and prayers cannot soothe the pain.

"We appreciate the swift, clear action taken by Mayor (Andrew J.) Ginther, calling for a federal investigation into the violation of the victim's civil rights, relieving the police officer of duty and working with BCI (Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation) to immediately start an independent investigation. We are impatient for answers but insist on a thorough, professional and complete investigation that ensures justice is done."

The Columbus chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council also released a statement, saying there are too many police-involved shootings in the city that disproportionately affect Black people.

"Some may opt to adopt a middle ground rather than demand radical change," President Charity Martin-King said in the statement. "Playing the middle is easy. Demanding justice is challenging. It is mutually beneficial to society to champion the cause for humanity. We must make the choice to be human BE-ings or human DOING."

mwalker@dispatch.com

@micah_walker701

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus faith leaders, city council speak out about police shooting