Man charged in shooting that prompted Columbus police officer to fire at him
A Columbus man is being held at the Franklin County jail on a felonious assault charge after city police allege that he shot at another man in a Southeast Side Side park, prompting an officer to fire her own weapon at him.
In a Columbus police report released Tuesday to The Dispatch, the suspected gunman was identified as 29-year-old Aboubacry Diop of the East Side.
The shooting occurred around 7:40 p.m. Saturday at the busy Nafzger Park on the 2800 block of Noe Bixby Road and spurred a flurry of frantic 911 calls: “He’s shooting right now!” “Somebody’s got a gun over there!” In one of the 911 calls, what sounds like at least seven gunshots can be heard in the background as a man tells a dispatcher that a gunman is shooting at another man in the park.
Shortly before the shooting even began, some parkgoers had called 911 to report that a man was walking around brandishing a handgun after he had been in an altercation.
In a Columbus police report released Tuesday to The Dispatch, the suspected gunman was identified as 29-year-old Aboubacry Diop of the East Side.
Diop is the man who police have said pulled out a gun and fired it at least once at a 47-year-old Southeast Side man after the two men had reportedly been arguing with each other at the park.
An officer working special duty in the area responded to the gunfire and shot at least once at a male suspect wielding a gun, Sgt. James Fuqua, spokesman for the Columbus Division of Police, said on Sunday.
Officer Blair Stewart, 34, was the officer who fired her weapon, the incident report states and confirmed by two police officials Tuesday night.
No one was injured by any gunfire. Diop was taken into custody at the scene after multiple witnesses identified him as the gunman, according to an affidavit filed in Franklin County Municipal Court. He appeared in court on the felonious assault charge Tuesday morning and is being held in the county jail without bond.
Diop is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing next Wednesday. if a grand jury does not indict him before then.
Stewart is not among the police bike patrol officers working in 21 select city parks to help visitors feel safe and engage with the public.
Stewart was part of the Columbus Division of Police's 127th recruit class that graduated in 2017, according to past coverage in The Dispatch.
It remains unclear from the report whether Stewart was herself fired upon, had a gun drawn on her or was prompted by another circumstance to discharge her weapon.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is heading the investigation into Stewart's discharge of her weapon in accordance with the Columbus Division of Police policy for all shootings involving its officers.
Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, breaking news and social justice issues. Reach him at elagatta@dispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ericlagatta