Man with knife in domestic dispute fatally shot by police officer
A man in a domestic dispute wielding a knife was fatally shot Wednesday morning by a Columbus police officer after police say an attempt to disable him with a Taser was unsuccessful.
Police were dispatched at 9:32 a.m. Wednesday on a call from a woman in an apartment in the 2400 block of Kimberly Drive in The Flats on Kimberly apartment complex on the city’s Southeast Side near Eastland.
Sgt. James Fuqua said responding officers were met outside by a woman who said that a man with whom she was in some sort of relationship had made direct threats to her with a knife. He said it was not immediately clear exactly what the relationship was between the two.
The man then came outside wielding a knife and the officers tried to get him to put down the knife, Fuqua said. The man, whom police say was clearly agitated, refused and “tried to re-engage” with the woman, he said.
Officers again ordered the man to put down the knife and attempted to use a Taser stun gun to disable him, but Fuqua said the attempt failed. The sergeant did not know why the attempt failed.
One officer then fired multiple rounds, striking the man, Fuqua said.
Officers immediately rendered medical aid until Columbus Fire medics arrived, Fuqua said. The man was transported in critical condition to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center, where he later died.
The woman sustained minor injuries from her encounter with the man, Fuqua said. No officers were injured in the incident.
The identity of the man with the knife was not immediately available pending notification of family. The identity of the officer who fired was not released and is normally not available for at least 24 hours after the incident per Division of Police practice.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, as is policy for all shootings involving Columbus police officers or any other law enforcement officer engaged who discharges their weapon in the city.
On April 20, Columbus police Officer Nicholas Reardon, responding to a call about a person with a knife at a home on the 3100 block of Legion Lane, fatally shot 16-year-old Ma’khia Bryant as she lunged with a knife toward a young woman.
Reardon’s body camera showed what played out immediately upon his arrival on the scene, where multiple people are standing in the driveway of what was later identified as a foster home for troubled teens where Bryant and her sister were staying.
Bryant first moved toward another young woman, who is pushed or falls backwards to the ground near the officer’s feet. A man at the scene, later identified as Bryant’s brother, then raises his leg and begins kicking the downed woman.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Bryant turns toward another young woman pinned up against the side of a parked car and holding a dog. The video shows Bryant holding the knife and moving it in a motion that appears to be an attempt to swing the knife at the young woman’s upper body.
Reardon is heard saying “Get down” multiple times and then fires his weapon four times. Other responding officers provided medical aid to Bryant at the scene until paramedics arrived. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died at 5:21 p.m.
Reardon’s shooting of Bryant has been investigated by Ohio BCI, and the case turned over to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office for review and to determine whether Reardon should face any charges. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner