The fallout from the shooting that took Donovan Lewis’s life as Columbus police conducted a warrant for his arrest is just beginning. As noted by the Columbus Dispatch, Lewis was the “sixth shooting involving Columbus police in 2022 and the third to happen within eight days in late August.” Now, his family and attorney Rex Elliott are calling for accountability.
As the recently released body cam footage shows, Lewis was in his bed when Officer Ricky Anderson shot and killed Lewis while he was getting up from his bed. The police were attempting to serve a warrant for domestic violence, assault, and improper handling of a firearm. Lewis was unarmed at the time, with a vape pen next to him.
“There was no justification — let me be clear — no justification for officer Anderson to shoot an unarmed man trying to get out of bed as police officers were instructing him to do,” said attorney Rex Elliott at a news conference Thursday. “Donovan was asleep before officers arrived and had no warning that CPD would burst into his apartment.”
At the press conference on Thursday, Lewis’ mother, father, siblings, grandmother, aunt, and close friends joined Elliot while they played back a portion of the body camera footage. Understandably, it was hard for them to watch and hear. Elliot stated the family demands Officer Anderson be punished and taken off patrol. Anderson is currently on paid administrative leave.
“How many more lives are going to be lost to this type of reckless activity? How many more Black lives will be lost? How many more families like Donovan’s will need to appear in news conferences like this one before our leaders do enough to stop these barbaric killings?” Elliott said.