Columbus police release bodycam video of Wednesday critical injury shooting on the Hilltop

Body camera video Columbus police released Friday shows officers tried for nearly 10 minutes to get a man accused of assaulting two family members and experiencing a mental health crisis to surrender peacefully before they kicked down the door to his mother's apartment and ultimately shot him.

Michael Frierson, 36, refused to leave the apartment on the 1600 block of Sullivant Avenue, so officers kicked in the door. Seconds later, video shows Frierson swinging at one of the four responding officers with objects in his hands. The officer fires three shots, critically wounding Frierson.

The shooting happened around 10:40 p.m. Wednesday after officers got a call from Frierson's sister about the alleged domestic violence and Frierson experiencing a mental health crisis.

On Friday, Columbus police released audio of the call made to the non-emergency line, along with body camera footage from all four responding officers. On the call, Frierson's sister told the dispatcher her brother was having a "manic episode" and that he has been diagnosed with mental health disorders. She also said he head-butted her but that she did not need a paramedic — she only had a knot on her head — and shoved her other brother.

"There is a disabled brother in the house. … I'm afraid he's going to do something to my mom or my brother," Frierson's sister said. "He just head-butted me. I'm trying to get him to calm down."

Columbus police dispatchers, according to documents provided Friday, reached out to the city's Right Response Unit, which provides both police and non-police responses with social workers, but the members of the unit were busy. Police said that because of the allegation of violence, officers were immediately sent to the address. The four officers who responded all previously took crisis intervention training for how to handle those in mental health crisis, according to police.

When officers arrived at the apartment building, they spoke with Frierson's sister in the parking lot. She expressed concern that another relative, who is immobile, was inside the apartment with Frierson and that Frierson made statements about wanting to die.

"He is going to try (to) agitate you all to do something to him," the woman is heard saying on the body camera video.

The officers discuss the possibility of taking Frierson to a hospital for treatment with the sister.

"He don't like nobody right now," the sister is heard saying on the body camera.

Officers are seen on the video trying to talk to Frierson through the closed apartment door, asking him to come outside. Frierson yells back that he has a warrant.

"There ain't no problems here," Frierson is heard saying.

The officers are heard telling Frierson they can't leave until they talk with him and continue to talk to him.

"Come out here so we can make sure you're OK," one of the officers is heard saying, as Frierson yells back unintelligibly.

At that point, nearly three minutes after officers first began communication, Frierson's mother comes outside to the apartment landing and talks to the officers, who tell her they have to arrest Frierson on suspicion of domestic violence.

"Whether or not you want anything done, we're legally obligated. We need to arrest him for that," one of the officers tells Frierson's mom.

"You can go in and tell him to come out," she responds before going back inside the apartment and shutting the door.

The officers also spoke again to Frierson's sister and said while they have to legally charge Frierson with domestic violence, they would recommend a specialized docket for those struggling with mental illness.

"You've got just a minute or two, and then I'm going to kick in this door," one of the officers said.

"I'm not going to jail," Frierson responds through the closed door.

Officers continue talking to Frierson through the door to try to get him to come out, but Frierson said he was not going to jail and tells officers they will have to kick the door down.

Nearly 10 minutes after officers arrived, an officer kicks the door open, and officers go into the apartment.

Body camera footage shows Frierson against a wall to the left of the apartment doorway as one of the officers approaches that doorway and draws his firearm.

Frierson is seen reaching around the corner of the door and swinging his hand at the officer while yelling obscenities. The officer, whose head moves backward, fires three shots, according to the camera footage. The body camera shows some sort of object in each of Frierson's hands. The officer who fired is later heard on the body camera saying Frierson came at him with scissors.

Another officer tells the three other people in the apartment to watch their step as they are escorted outside because there's a big knife on the floor.

Investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation found a pair of scissors, a knife and a fork in the apartment, according to police.

Officers gave Frierson medical aid at the scene until paramedics arrived, including applying a tourniquet to a wound to Frierson's leg and a chest seal to a wound in his torso. He was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he remains in critical but stable condition.

Police refused to identify the officer who fired the shots, citing Marsy's Law, which aims to protect crime victims, but said the officer has been an officer for four years.

Frierson will likely be charged with domestic violence and felonious assault on a police officer. Police said at the time of the shooting, Frierson also had an active warrant for felony possession of drugs.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police release bodycam video from Wednesday Hilltop shooting