'He was not a bad person.' Family, supporters grieve loss of man shot by Canton police
CANTON ‒ A candlelight vigil Thursday night helped family grieve the loss of 24-year-old Zachary Fornash and protest his shooting death by a police officer two days earlier.
About 50 people gathered in a parking lot at Skyland Terrace apartments along Alan Page Drive SE, a short distance from where Fornash was killed Tuesday night.
Hours earlier, Canton Police released video of the shooting from the body camera of the police officer involved.
Fornash's supporters, some crying while clutching strings to red balloons, gathered around lit candles for a moment of silence and a balloon release as music played.
"Zachary would love and appreciate all of this. We appreciate everybody showing up and showing out for him. We appreciate the no violence, the no drama. They made it all about Zachary. And not what the media has painted Zachary out to be," said Fornash's wife, Alexus Fornash.
"They painted him out to be a bad person because he had past charges. He was not a bad person. He's made mistakes like everybody in this ... world has. And he has overcame so much in his life. That he's one of the strongest people that I know."
Court records show Fornash had been arrested twice within the last month, accused of making threats with a weapon.
Sierra Mason, a local activist who has organized protests against police shootings, led chants critical of Canton police.
When a police vehicle drove by, several people made derogatory remarks.
"In cold blood!" one man shouted.
Related: Canton police officer shoots, kills 24-year-old man; state to review incident
Mason kneeled by the candles and said, "It does not matter what he had went through. It does not matter what he ever did in his life. It does not matter what mistakes he made. He did not deserve to die. (He) should be here."
Video of Canton police shooting Zachary Fornash
Police said a resident had flagged officer Garrett Marino down to report that a man had shown a gun during an argument. Marino saw Fornash standing by a parking lot. In the video released by police, Marino yells at Fornash to get on the ground. The officer said Fornash had a gun.
"Get on the ground or you're going to get shot!" Marino screams. He said it repeatedly again and ordered Fornash to show his hands and put them on his head.
Fornash turned from the officer and walked away across the parking lot to the grass with his hands in his pocket or at his side. The officer screams three more times for Fornash to put his hands on his head as Fornash continues to walk away. When Fornash turns toward the officer, the officer fires multiple shots.
"It's a BB-gun," Fornash said from the ground.
He later died at Aultman Hospital.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting.
Related: 'It's a BB gun.' Canton police say man fatally shot by officer had pellet gun
Reaction from Zachary Fornash's family
Those at the vigil who said they watched the video said the shooting was unjustified.
Alexus Fornash acknowledged that her husband was carrying a pellet gun, which he should not have done. But she said in the video he never pulled the pellet gun out of his pocket. She questioned why the police officer didn't use a stun gun or rubber bullets instead.
"I heard the gunshots. I live over there. I have to live across the street from where my husband was killed," said Alexus Fornash. "My (5-year-old) daughter gets on the school bus right there. You can literally see where her daddy died. From her bus stop. I can't save her from that pain."
She said February would have been their one-year wedding anniversary. At the start of their relationship about four years ago, she had a daughter, now 5, who's always considered Zachary Fornash her father. And the pair have a 2-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, who are too young to understand what happened.
Alexus Fornash wore a hoodie with a picture of her with her husband that reads, "In Loving Memory of Zach."
"My (5-year-old) daughter asked me today, 'What happened to my daddy in the ambulance?' I can't answer that for her."
Fornash's mother, Cassandra White of Hartville, said she watched the police video 10 times.
"Why? Why? K-9 was on site. Why not release K-9?" she asked. "Why not pellet him? Why not tase him? Why?
Family members said they want others to know about Fornash's strengths as a husband and father.
"He was an amazing husband in the ways that he could be amazing," Alexus Fornash said. "And I love him dearly. And I will miss him everyday for the rest of my life because someone chose to take his life."
Campfield Hickman Collier Funeral Home in Barberton is handling arrangements.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly known as Twitter: @rwangREP.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Family, supporters grieve loss of Zachary Fornash to police shooting
