“The community is exhausted,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said at a press conference on Tuesday (December 22) afternoon.
In the early morning hours of that day, an unidentified 47-year-old Black man was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer after a noise complaint was received.
This fatal shooting marks the second this month in the city of Columbus. Casey Goodson, Jr. was shot by police in front of his home less than three weeks ago.
A non-emergency call was made at 1:37 a.m. in Columbus’ northwest side, according to Sgt. James Fuqua who spoke during the press conference. Fuqua said the complaint was made by a neighbor who said they saw someone was sitting in an SUV that was turned on and off over an extended period of time.
Officials say when they arrived on the scene, a garage door was open and a man was inside. The man approached police, reportedly holding a cell phone in his left hand.
According to a report by The Columbus Dispatch, neither responding officers turned on their body cameras until after the shooting, but the fatal shooting was captured on video since the cameras can record up 60 seconds before they’re turned on.
Mayor Ginther called for the officer who shot the man to be immediately relieved of duties until an investigation led by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is completed.
Further review of the video indicates the officers delayed giving the man first aid, according to a press release by the city’s Department of Public Safety.
The names of the police officers have also not been released per Division of Police Policy which states that officers involved in shootings can’t be identified for at least 24 hours after the shooting.
Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan said the shooting is “a tragedy on many levels.”
Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, whose congressional districts includes Columbus and the surrounding suburbs, expressed her concern in a statement, “There are not enough words to express the pain and anger I feel that another Black man has been killed in our community at the hands of law enforcement in less than a month.” She added, “While we do not know all of the facts, what I do know is that this is unacceptable.”
Photo: Getty Images