Officer shoots man who reportedly tried to run him over
A Newark man was shot by a Columbus police officer early Friday morning, after police said he attempted to strike the officer with a vehicle on the city’s North Side.
Police received a call at 12:09 a.m. that a person appeared to be passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle near the intersection of Summit Street and East 16th Avenue.
When an officer arrived and approached the vehicle, police said the driver, later identified as Kevin K. Miller, 23, attempted to hit the officer. The officer opened fire, striking Miller.
Miller kept driving and headed north on East 17th Avenue. A police helicopter located the vehicle near railroad tracks at Big Four Street and East 16th Avenue.
Miller reportedly ran from the vehicle and was caught by officers. He had warrants for his arrest for failure to appear in court for traffic violations, said Columbus police Sgt. Dean Worthington. Miller has a Newark address, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.
Medics took Miller to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, where he was treated for at least one gunshot wound. Police said his condition is stable. The officer who fired the shot, who has not been identified by police, was not injured.
Licking County court records show that Miller has a criminal history there. He was sentenced in August 2016 to a year and a half in prison after pleading guilty to charges of drug possession and trafficking, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and obstructing official business. Court records show he was granted early release in March 2017 and placed on community control after serving less than six months.
Friday’s shooting marks the second officer-involved shooting this month, with the other a fatal shooting.
On Jan. 12, plainclothes Officers Joseph Houseberg and Bryan Brumfield were working a special assignment looking for an aggravatedrobbery suspect on the Southeast Side. The officers found the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Amanuel Dagebo, who was wanted on a warrant, in a vehicle and approached to take him into custody. The officers opened fire at some point, killing the suspect. A gun believed to have been carried by Dagebo was found nearby.
The officer from Friday’s shooting will be placed on administrative leave for at least a few days until he/she is cleared to return to work by a psychological counselor. When the officer returns, interviews will take place with investigators and the officer will be provided representation by the police union. Officer-involved shootings are investigated by a team of homicide investigators who are part of a critical-incident response team. An internal police review board also will review the shooting to determine whether the officer’s actions were within policy. The entire process can sometimes take more than a year.