Stock: Police tape
(Picture: PA Archive)A police officer in Ohio fatally shot an unarmed black man seconds after opening his bedroom door in a bid to serve him an arrest warrant.
Donovan Lewis, 20, was unarmed when he was shot early Tuesday by Ricky Anderson, a 30-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police.
A news conference held as police released body-worn footage of the incident heard less than a second passed between Anderson pushing open the bedroom door and him firing a single shot into Mr Lewis’ abdomen.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant told reporters it appeared Mr Lewis had a vaping device in his hand, and no weapons were found in the apartment, but that the shooting occured when he raised his hand while appearing to hold onto something.
Police had a warrant to arrest him on charges of domestic violence, assault and the improper handling of a firearm, she said.
Footage showed police officers knocking on an apartment door for around 10 minutes and it was opened by two different men who were arrested.
They then ask who else is inside the apartment, before a police dog barked to indicate that Mr Lewis was behind a bedroom door.
After the shooting, an officer repeatedly told Mr Lewis to “crawl” out of the room, before police carried him downstairs and performed medical aid while waiting for paramedics, the video shows.
He was pronounced dead at 3.9 am at a nearby hospital, according to reports.
Ms Bryant said: “Donovan Lewis lost his life. As a parent, I sympathise and grieve with his mother.
“As a community, I grieve with our community, but we’re going to allow this investigation to take place.”
She said that the police department was “committed to full transparency” and would hold any officers found to have committed wrongdoing to account.
“These incidents leave behind grieving family members, unanswered questions from the community and a further divide between the citizens and the police department," the Columbus chapter of the civil rights group, the NAACP, said in a statement.
The investigation is now being handled by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
