Columbus police officer shot after robberies, shootout near I-70: Here's what we know

Bethany Bruner, The Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·5 min read
16
Jul 6, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Officers investigate and mark the crime scene on I70 where a car crash occurred following a bank robbery and car theft.
Jul 6, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Officers investigate and mark the crime scene on I70 where a car crash occurred following a bank robbery and car theft.

A Columbus police officer was injured and a man shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire Thursday afternoon on Interstate 70 near Downtown.

The deadly Thursday shootout between Columbus police and three adult male suspects followed what police called a crime spree that started about 2:15 p.m. Thursday with the theft of a black Porsche Cayenne SUV from the Byers Imports Porsche Columbus dealership, 401 N. Hamilton Road, Whitehall.

It continued about 4 p.m. with an armed robbery, in which at least $90,000 was taken at gunpoint from Fifth Third Bank, 2455 Hilliard-Rome Road, on Columbus' Far West Side.

Columbus police pursued the SUV on the highway when a confrontation occurred on I-70 east near the West Mound Street exit in South Franklinton.

Here's what we know and what we are still working to learn:

Related article: Columbus police arrest two early Friday in connection with shootout that wounded officer

Who was involved in the shooting?

Columbus police said at least one person in the Porsche fired at officers, hitting one officer. Other officers returned fire.

Police have not said how many officers fired their weapons.

Police vehicles on I-70 at Mound Street near Downtown surround a stolen Porsche Cayenne SUV, just beneath the I-71 South sign, as officers responded to a Columbus police officer shot by robbery suspects Thursday afternoon.
Police vehicles on I-70 at Mound Street near Downtown surround a stolen Porsche Cayenne SUV, just beneath the I-71 South sign, as officers responded to a Columbus police officer shot by robbery suspects Thursday afternoon.

One of the suspects was shot and died at the scene. There were at least two other suspects in the Porsche who fled on foot. It was not known whether they were wounded.

The officer who was shot was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in a police cruiser by his partner and underwent emergency surgery.

Who are the suspects?

The deceased suspect was identified Monday as 19-year-old Abdisamad Ismail, according to the Franklin County Coroner's Office. Two other suspects were arrested.

U.S. marshals arrested Fazsal M. Darod, 23, at about 1:30 a.m. Friday outside his home on East Weber Road in North Linden. Aden Abduallahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg, was arrested by U.S. marshals around 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Jama had a ticket for a flight that was scheduled to leave at 12:35 p.m. Saturday for Turkey.

Columbus police released this image of a male suspect believed to be involved in a series of crimes Thursday that ended with a Columbus police officer shot and a suspect killed. Anyone with information on this person's identity and whereabouts should call 911 or Columbus police at 614-645-4545.
Columbus police released this image of a male suspect believed to be involved in a series of crimes Thursday that ended with a Columbus police officer shot and a suspect killed. Anyone with information on this person's identity and whereabouts should call 911 or Columbus police at 614-645-4545.

Who is the officer that was hurt?

Police have not yet released the name of the officer who was hurt. Columbus police said the officer has 10 months of experience with the Division of Police.

What's going on with the investigation?

Parker said the investigation remains active and ongoing.

"We also look at which jurisdiction has the bigger hammer," he said. "If you fire at an officer … you may as well have assaulted an entire community of federal, state and local officers."

Darod remains at the Franklin County jail and will appear in U.S. District Court in Columbus on Monday afternoon. Jama is being held in the Chicago area and will have an extradition hearing, likely on Monday, to start the process of bringing him back to Ohio for a trial.

Both of the arrested men will face federal charges of aiding and abetting a bank robbery, which carries a potential penalty up to 20 years in prison, and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a violent crime, which carries a potential penalty of five years to life in prison, said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker.

The investigation into the police shooting is headed up by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which is the standard procedure when a Columbus police officer injures or kills someone.

All of the investigators will share relevant information with the other investigating agencies.

A map of the Columbus area is marked with the locations of key incidents in the armed robbery spree by three suspects Thursday that led to a deadly shootout. At right is the marker showing Byers Imports' Porsche dealership at 410 N. Hamilton Road in Whitehall, where police there say a suspect held up an employee at gunpoint about 2:15 p.m. for the keys to a black Porsche SUV. When the suspects drove off, the dealership turned on the anti-theft GPS device on the vehicle, allowing them to track the SUV and alert police. After leaving the dealership, the suspects robbed the Fifth Third Bank branch at 2455 Hilliard Rome Road, shown by the marker on Columbus' Far West Side. As police arrived to confront them, the suspects sped off south on Hilliard Rome Road and onto I-70 east. At about 4 p.m., near West Mound Street on the interstate, shown by the center marker, there was a shootout on the highway where a Columbus police officer was critically wounded and one of the suspects was killed. The other two suspects fled on foot south down a hillside from the interstate into the South Franklinton neighborhood and remain at-large. The wounded officer was rushed by his partner to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Downtown, where he underwent emergency surgery and was later upgraded to stable condition.

The Franklin County Coroner's office performed an autopsy on the dead suspect.

After the BCI completes its investigation, the Franklin County Prosecutor's office will review the case and present it to a grand jury for consideration. This is the normal practice of the prosecutor's office in instances where police fatally shoot someone.

In addition, the city's Inspector General will look at whether anyone violated Columbus police policy or procedure, and the Civilian Police Review Board will lead that investigation.

Was the shooting captured on body camera video?

Bodker said all of the officers involved in the robbery and shootout were wearing body cameras at the time. Footage from those cameras, as well as dash cameras from cruisers responding to the scene, is likely to be made public within the next several days.

The Dispatch has filed a public records request for the camera footage, as well as any related 911 calls that may have been received about the bank robbery.

When was the last time a Columbus police officer was shot?

The last time a Columbus police officer was shot and wounded in the line of duty was in July 2020. In that instance, an officer was shot and wounded while working a special-duty assignment at a Southeast Side bar.

In 2016, Officer Steven Smith was shot and killed while working on the Division of Police's SWAT team.

What have city leaders said?

On Thursday, Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City Council President Shannon Hardin and City Attorney Zach Klein all posted statements on their social media accounts in support of the officer who was wounded.

"This is a scary, sad but important reminder of how dangerous a job our police officers do every single day," Klein wrote. "Let's all rally behind him and his family, and give him all the support, thoughts and prayers necessary to get him healthy as quickly as possible."

Hardin, who was the first of the city officials to issue a statement, said the thoughts of he and his family are with the officer and he was praying for the officer's recovery.

In his statement, Ginther said the situation was a "stark reminder of the dangers" officers face every day.

On Friday, Ginther visited the officer and his family in the hospital along with Bodker and Safety Director Kate Pishotti. Ginther said he believes the community's prayers and well-wishes have helped the officer's progress so far but that he has a long road to a full recovery.

Ginther asked the community to continue to keep the officer and his family, as well as all of the city's safety personnel, in their thoughts and prayers. He also asked that people consider donating to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers to be able to provide a hefty reward for information.

Information about donations can be obtained by emailing officer Anthony Johnson at anjohnson@columbuspolice.org or contacting Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at crimestoppers16038@gmail.com.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police officer shot after bank robbery: What we know so far