An Ohio police officer fatally shot an unarmed Black man within a second of opening his bedroom door early on the morning of Aug. 30 during an attempt to serve an arrest warrant.
Donovan Lewis, 20, was being served an arrest warrant on charges of improperly handling a firearm, assault and domestic violence, Police Chief Elaine Bryant told reporters.
In the body cam footage, police officers can be seen knocking on an apartment door for 8-10 minutes before a man opened the door. Upon entering the apartment, officers found another man and detained them both.
The officers then released a police dog which trotted around into the kitchen and then barked at a bedroom door. Officer Ricky Anderson pushed open the bedroom and immediately fired a single shot into Mr. Lewis’ abdomen.
›Apparently, Mr. Lewis had a vaping device in his hand, and no weapons were found in the apartment, Chief Bryant added. Mr. Lewis was transported to a hospital after being treated on the scene and later pronounced dead.
“Donovan Lewis lost his life,” Mr. Bryant said in a press conference. “As a parent, I sympathize and grieve with his mother. As a community, I grieve with our community, but we’re going to allow this investigation to take place.”
“We are committed to full transparency … and we’re committed to holding officers accountable if there was any wrongdoing.”
“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.
Black people dying at the hands of U.S. police has ignited widespread protests against racism and demands for police reform.
The push for change gained momentum after a White Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, until he died in May 2020.
Mr. Floyd’s death sparked months of protests against racial injustice and police brutality in the United States and around the world. (PressTV.ir)
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