COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus Police Department officer has been removed from duty by CPD Chief Thomas Quinlan, requiring the officer to turn in his badge and gun and stripping him of all police powers pending the outcome of the criminal and subsequent internal investigation.
Per union contract, the officer will be paid during this time.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther requested the officer be removed from duty after he was involved in the shooting and killing of a Black man early Tuesday morning.
“We're still raw from the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and less than three weeks ago Casey Goodson Jr,” Ginther said at a press conference Tuesday. “Early this morning we learned of the killing of another African American at the hands of law enforcement. Our community is exhausted. While it is very early in the investigation, there is one fact that disturbs me greatly.”
The preliminary investigation found that neither responding officer turned on their body cameras until after the shooting occurred. Because of a 60-second “look back” function on the cameras, the shooting was captured on camera, but the look-back function does not include audio.
According to a release by the Columbus Department of Public Safety, the officers’ dash cameras also did not capture the incident due to lights and sirens not being activated for the non-emergency response.
Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan said he also found some of the preliminary findings troubling.
“The division invested millions of dollars in these cameras for the express purpose of creating a video and audio record of these kinds of encounters,” Quinlan said. “They provide transparency and accountability, and protect the public, as well as officers, when the facts are in question.”
Ginther said it is unacceptable for the officers to not turn on their cameras.
“So, let me be clear. If you're not going to turn on your body-worn camera, you cannot serve and protect the people of Columbus,” Ginther said.
As a result of the preliminary findings, Ginther said he has asked Quinlan to remove the officer involved from duty and have him turn in his badge and gun.
The release from the department of public safety said the officer involved in the shooting will not return to work until he has been cleared by an independent psychologist. This stance was later changed with a follow-up release.
According to the release, CPD officers were dispatched to a report of a disturbance at 1:37 a.m. in the 1000 block of Oberlin Drive on a non-emergency call. A neighbor reported a man sitting in an SUV for an extended period, repeatedly turning the vehicle on and off.
A man was found in an open garage and, according to a report of the body-camera footage, walked toward the officer with a cell phone in his left hand and his right hand not visible.
The officer shot the man and the 47-year-old man died at Riverside Hospital at 2:25 a.m.
The preliminary investigation indicated the man shot was visiting someone at the home. A weapon was not recovered at the scene, and the body-worn camera footage also documents a delay in rendering of first-aid to the man.
The investigation now is being led by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
“This is a tragedy on many levels,” Quinlan said. “Most importantly a life has been lost. That must be our focus going forward. We know that BCI will conduct a thorough, independent investigation. We promise that we will provide as much transparency as possible on our part, both with investigators and the public. Our community deserves the facts. If evidence determines that laws or policies were violated, officers will be held accountable.”
Ginther said officials are awaiting the notification of the decease man’s next of kin before release his identity. The family also will have an opportunity to see the body-worn camera footage before it is released to the media, which is expected to be in the next 24 hours.
“I am deeply saddened, frustrated, angry,” Ginther said.
Information will be added as it is released from the BCI investigation.