Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, have released body camera footage that shows police officer Ricky Anderson fatally shooting a shirtless unarmed Black man in his bed.
Donovan Lewis, 20, died Tuesday after being shot by Anderson, a 30-year veteran with the Columbus Division of Police assigned to the K9 Unit, police said during a news conference, CNN reports.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said the shooting happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment building where uniformed officers were serving a felony warrant for domestic violence and assault and improper handling of a firearm. Police did not say who the warrant was for.
“The officers knocked on the door for several minutes … acknowledging themselves as Columbus Police officers,” Bryant said.
Don't Miss
In the video, officer Anderson is seen opening the bedroom door, where a man is seen on a bed.
Bodycam video shows Anderson firing a single shot at a man, later identified as Lewis, moments after opening the bedroom door.
During the news conference, Bryant showed the body camera video frame-by-frame, asserting that the moment Anderson opened fire, it appeared Lewis was holding “something” in his hand.
Bryant said a vape pen was later found next to Lewis on the bed.
Lewis was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:19 a.m., according to authorities.
WATCH: The police department in Columbus, Ohio, released body-worn camera videos on Wednesday showing an officer fatally shooting a Black man, 20-year-old Donovan Lewis, in his bed during an attempt to serve an arrest warrant. #Ohio pic.twitter.com/Ozv7j8je8W
— BNN Newsroom (@BNNBreaking) September 1, 2022
“Every day, officers are put in compromising, potentially life-threatening situations in which we are required to make split-second decisions,” Bryant said. “As the chief, it is my job to hold my officers accountable, but it’s also my job to offer them support and make sure that I give that to them through the process. If they do the right things for the right reasons, we will support them. If they do something wrong, they will be held accountable.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident, CNN reported.
