Joe Frasure: Man dies after police shooting while cleaning grandma’s apartment, family demands to see bodycam footage
WYOMING, OHIO: A 28-year-old Ohio man died after being shot by police officers, who reportedly believed he was a burglary suspect as he was cleaning his late grandmother’s empty apartment. Joe Frasure was shot on Monday, January 30, when Wyoming police officers responded to an apartment building in the 300 block of Durrell Avenue at 1 am after an unidentified person reported a possible burglary in the residence.
Upon their arrival, the officers noticed questionable activity at the rear of the building and encountered Frasure and his father Joe Frasure Sr, Police Chief Brooke Brady said in a video statement. She said the two men tried to flee and even turned down officials’ commands to get out of their mini-van. "The minivan reversed at a high rate of speed, before hittiing a tree, at which point the vehicle accelerated rapidly at our officers,” she said, according to NBC news.
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Seeing the van accelerating towards them, the officers fired three shots at the van. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s office said Frasure was struck in the gunfire. He was immediately rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on Tuesday, January 31. His cause and manner of death have not been released.
What have officials found in the investigation?
An immediate investigation has been launched into Frasure’s tragic death. Chief Brady said she has reviewed the bodycam footage of the incident, which has been shared with the sheriff's office and the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office. “This is a tragedy for all involved,” Brady said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time.” However, the officers involved in the shooting have not yet been identified.
During the investigation, it was also revealed that the Wyoming police officer frequently visited the apartment, which belonged to Frasure’s grandmother. Between October 10 and January 11, police received at least 33 calls about situations at the property, according to records obtained by The Enquirer. A neighbor Derrick Moore told the outlet that he and other nearby residents have been concerned about the property for many months.
'I want to see the bodycam'
The heartbroken family disputed authorities’ claims and said Joe was not a burglary suspect. They said he and his father had been clearing out the apartment, where his grandmother lived until her recent death. His sister Shonda Coleman told NBC, “I didn’t hear none of that. I didn’t hear no commands. All I heard is pop, pop, pop, pop. Like, it was, like, 10 rounds. I want to see the bodycam. I want all the cops that were here, every one of them that was here, I want their information.” They are now demanding immediate action against the responsible cops.