Donovan Lewis' family: Keep protests peaceful, focus on change
As the family of a 20-year-old man killed by Columbus police on Tuesday morning continues to seek answers to the questions they have about his death, they are calling for any protests being arranged in his honor to be peaceful and for significant change to policing in Columbus.
The family of Donovan Lewis, who spoke through their attorney Thursday morning, said he was well-loved, evidenced by more than a dozen family members and friends who appeared at a press briefing at a Downtown hotel.
Watch:Donovan Lewis fatal shooting: Family's lawyer Rex Elliott criticizes Columbus officer
"Donovan was a typical 20-year-old kid with a ton of friends," attorney Rex Elliott said. "Certainly, he had his challenges in life, but he was a very good person and loved very much."
Watch (Viewer Discretion Advised):Full video: Columbus police body camera footage of Donovan Lewis shooting
Officers had gone to apartment to arrest Lewis on outstanding warrants
Columbus police went to Lewis' Sullivant Avenue apartment around 2 a.m. Tuesday to attempt to arrest him on multiple felony and misdemeanor warrants related to domestic violence, assault and a felony charge of improper handling of a firearm. After between eight and 10 minutes of knocking on the apartment's door, a man opened it and allowed police entry.
That man, who has not been identified, and a second man who was on a couch in the living room, were detained by police and asked if anyone else was in the apartment, according to body camera footage released hours after the shooting.
"There's no indication he (Lewis) was aware of what was happening outside," Elliott, the attorney, said. "The two individuals were handcuffed very quickly. There's no indication there was violence in that apartment or about to happen."
Officer Ricky Anderson, a 30-year member of the force and K-9 handler, released his dog to search for Lewis. The dog alerted at the back bedroom, barking multiple times over a period of about two minutes. When officers entered the apartment, Anderson leashed the dog and opened the bedroom door, which was shut.
Stay up to date:Lawyer for officer who shot Donovan Lewis says officers can be mistaken
Elliott said Lewis was likely asleep in his bed, or possibly scared by police being at his door, before they "stormed into the apartment." He said Lewis was known to be a deep sleeper.
"He was asleep before officers arrived and had no warning that CPD would burst into his apartment," Elliott said. "Donovan was alone in his room, in his bed."
The body camera video shows Anderson shooting within a second of the bedroom door being opened, striking Lewis once in the abdomen.
Minute-by-minute:A timeline of the Columbus police shooting of Donovan Lewis
"He almost immediately shot as Donovan was trying to get out of bed," Elliott said. "He was abiding by police commands to come out of his room when he was shot in cold blood by officer Anderson. There was no justification for officer Anderson to shoot an unarmed man trying to get out of bed as police officers were instructing him to do."
Elliott said Lewis' family wants to see "significant" and "drastic" changes to policing in Columbus, calling the 20-year-old's death "barbaric."
"I’d like to know why in the world they’re executing warrants at two in the morning," Elliott said. "The reality is felony warrants are executed every day in daylight hours. There's no reason for it to be served in the middle of the night."
Elliott also said officers need more understanding of the circumstances the people in the communities they are policing are going through, particularly historically underserved communities. The family also intends to file a civil lawsuit against Anderson and the city at the appropriate time.
"They want this officer punished, not permitted to be out on the street again," Elliott said.
What we know:Donovan Lewis shooting: What we know about fatal police shooting
The family also wants the focus to be on Lewis, rather than the pending charges that led police to his door on Tuesday morning.
"When somebody is killed in a drunk driving accident, we focus on the drunk driver. We don’t focus on what the victim was all about," Elliott said. "There's almost an insinuation when those types of questions are asked that maybe he deserved it. That's unfair."
One of Lewis' neighbors, Matthew Adams, said he first met Lewis when the 20-year-old asked for a cigarette.
“He was an OK guy,” he said. “We talked here and there about life and stuff. He said he was going to try to change his life.”
Adams described Lewis as someone who had anger problems.
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t really control (his anger),” he said.
Mark Collins, a local attorney who is representing Anderson, issued a statement on Thursday that said Anderson sympathizes with Lewis' family.
"When we analyze police-involved shootings, we must look to the totality of the circumstances, and we are expressly forbidden from using 20/20 hindsight, because unlike all of us, officers are not afforded the luxury of armchair reflection when they are faced with rapidly evolving, volatile encounters in dangerous situations," Collins said. "Because of this, the law allows a reasonable officer to be mistaken, just as the law allows us as non-police officers to be mistaken. We are sure the investigation will be thorough, and we certainly hope the process of any future legal proceedings will be more fair than what we have seen in the recent past."
Anderson remains on paid leave, as is division policy.
There have been more than five dozen police shootings in Columbus since 2018
In Columbus, there have been 62 shootings involving Columbus police officers since 2018, including Lewis' shooting. Of those 62 shootings, 19 have resulted in a death, according to data from Columbus police.
The 19 people who have been killed by Columbus police since 2018 include 11 Black males, five white males, two white females and one Black female.
Ohio does not require police departments to report fatal shootings, so the exact number of deaths is unknown. The Washington Post, which compiles data from media reports, recorded 219 police shootings in Ohio since Jan. 1, 2015. At least 25 people have died in 2022 alone in the state.
The victims of arrest-related deaths in Ohio are disproportionately Black, according to 2019 data from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services. Of the 43 arrest-related deaths examined that year, 30% were Black men even though Black residents comprise 12.6% of the state’s population that year.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has either investigated or offered crime scene assistance for 52 deaths involving police since Jan. 1, 2020. BCI does not investigate every police-involved shooting or death in custody. Some police departments have agreements with the state investigators to prevent the appearance of local police investigating their own.
Local law enforcement officers are facing charges
Since 2019, two former Columbus police officers and one former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy have been indicted on murder charges for on-duty shootings.
Former officer Andrew Mitchell faces murder and voluntary manslaughter charges in the Aug. 23, 2018 death of 23-year-old Donna Castleberry. His first trial, which took place in April, resulted in a hung jury. A second trial is scheduled to begin in October.
Adam Coy, a former Columbus police officer, was indicted in 2021 on charges of murder, felonious assault and reckless homicide in the Dec. 22, 2020 death of 47-year-old Andre Hill. Coy is accused of fatally shooting Hill, who was in the garage of a Northwest Side home and holding a cell phone, four times. His trial is scheduled to begin in November.
Former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade is also facing murder charges in connection with the Dec. 4, 2020, shooting death of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. Meade shot Goodson six times while Goodson was entering his Northeast Side home. Meade's trial is scheduled to begin in December.
Family of Donovan Lewis want 'significant,' 'drastic' change
Lewis' family said Thursday they want to see some major changes in how policing is conducted in Columbus, calling efforts over the last two years insufficient.
"It's time to do something significantly more drastic and immediate," Elliott said. "We can’t lose one more kid by a police officer recklessly firing their gun."
Looking forward:What will Columbus' ongoing police reform look like in 2022?
In 2020, Columbus voters overwhelmingly approved a Civilian Review Board to investigate police uses of force and allegations of misconduct, as well as the office of Inspector General.
Upgraded body cameras also are being phased in for officers, which include an extended window of video and audio captured before the camera is turned on manually.
"To be honest with you, it’s a lot of talk and not a lot of action," Elliott said. "Whatever we’re doing, it’s not working. We've had three police-involved shootings in the last 10 days. It's not working and they need to do more."
Protests are scheduled for Friday night, Saturday and Sunday in Lewis' honor. The protest Friday night is scheduled to be held at 5 p.m. outside Columbus police headquarters in Downtown Columbus.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story contained incorrect numbers in the breakdown by race and sex of the 19 people killed by Columbus police since 2018.
Dispatch reporter Monroe Trombly and USA Today Network Ohio Bureau reporter Jessie Balmert contributed to this story.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Donovan Lewis' family: Keep protests peaceful, focus on change
