Ricky Anderson: Bodycam shows Ohio cop fatally shooting UNARMED man, 20, holding vape pen in his bed
WARNING: This article contains graphic imagery and content that some readers may find distressing. Discretion is advised.
COLUMBUS, OHIO: A police officer named Ricky Anderson fatally shot a 20-year-old Black man identified as Donovan Lewis on Tuesday, August 30 early morning, after attempting to serve him an arrest warrant. The body camera footage released by the police shows Lewis, who was wanted on charges of assault, domestic violence, and a felony of improperly handling a firearm, raising his hand gripping what appears to be a vape pen before he was shot.
The video, released at a news conference which was attended by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther as per Fox59, shows police officers going towards an apartment building in the 3200 block of Sullivant Avenue to serve the warrant around 2.30 am on August 30. They knock on the door for about 10 minutes before a man opens it. The video shows the man being taken into custody. Following which, police witness another man inside the entrance of the apartment and detain him as well. They ask both the men if there is anyone else and get no response. The police yell to warn anyone inside that they are releasing a K-9. The footage then shows the dog moving to the kitchen and barking at a bedroom door. The dog’s handler, Anderson, held the dog back and opened the door. Within one second of opening the door, Anderson shoots Lewis, who appears to sit up in bed, raising his hand. Police officers provided aid to Lewis until fire medics arrived and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Chief Elaine Bryant said at the news conference that a device appearing to be a "vape pen" was later "found on the bed right next to him." And no weapon was found, as per NBC. Bryant said, "Donovan Lewis lost his life. As a parent, you know, I sympathize, and I grieve with his mother. As a community, I grieve with our community, but we're going to allow this investigation to take place. Every day, officers are put in compromising potentially life-threatening situations in which we are required to make split-second decisions. As the chief, it is my job to hold my officers accountable, but it’s also my job to offer them support."
Following this, Anderson has been placed on leave pending an investigation, which has been taken over by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, suggests The Guardian report.