Columbus police name 3 SWAT officers involved in fatal shooting
Columbus police have identified three SWAT officers who were involved in the Saturday night fatal shooting of an Athens County man in a Home Depot parking lot.
Bret Andrews, 46, of Athens, Ohio, was shot around 8:20 p.m. Saturday following an encounter with Columbus police SWAT officers in the store parking lot located at 1680 Stringtown Road in Grove City.
Andrews had an active warrant for his arrest out of Athens County, according to court records, and Columbus SWAT was attempting to serve that warrant.
Sgt. David Scarpitti said during the encounter officers fired at Andrews, who was rushed to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. A firearm was recovered at the scene, Scarpitti said.
The officers involved were identified as James Ashenhurst, Robert Cutshall and Matthew Liford.
Ashenhurst has been an officer for 23 years, Cutshall for 26 years and Liford for 24 years. All three officers are currently on administrative leave, as is division policy.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
Columbus police have not released additional information about what led up to the shooting or said when camera footage from the incident might be released.
Andrews’ warrant was for rape of a child under the age of 13 and had been filed in December, according to Athens County court records.
The alleged incident occurred in October 2021, according to court records, which indicate that Andrews fled Athens County after the victim accused him of sexual assault and made comments about being fearful of spending the rest of his life in prison. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner