Ohio police officer Ricky Anderson is charged with the murder of 20-year-old Donavan Lewis after mistaking his vape pen for a gun during a search warrant
A grand jury has indicted a former Columbus police officer on murder charges for shooting an unarmed man to death after mistaking his vape pen for a gun while executing a search warrant two years ago.
Ricky Anderson, a 30-year veteran, was charged with murder and reckless manslaughter over the death of Donavan Lewis.
Lewis, 20, died in the early hours of August 30, 2022, following a 3 a.m. raid on his home in the city’s Hilltop neighborhood, which was recorded by police cameras.
Officers were there to arrest him on multiple warrants, including domestic violence and assault. The police knocked on the door for several minutes and handcuffed two men who came out of the apartment.
They sent out a K-9 and when the dog indicated there was a third man in the room, the K-9 handler opened the door, fired his gun a second later, killing Lewis.
Lawyers representing Lewis’ mother, Rebecca Duran, said the family were relieved after news of the charges WBNS.
Donovan Lewis, 20, was shot by police shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio, while lying in bed
Lewis is seen in a split second before Ricky Anderson, a K-9 handler and 30-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department, pulls the trigger
Anderson was placed on administrative leave after the incident pending an investigation. But he decided to retire from the police force in March.
According to his personnel file, ten civilian complaints were filed against him in 2001, including the use of force and violation of police rules.
The charges were announced after the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation concluded its investigation.
The case was presented to the Franklin County grand jury for consideration of the indictment. An arrest warrant has been issued for Anderson.
“We are relieved that a grand jury has concluded what we knew all along: Officer Ricky Anderson broke the law when he shot and killed an unarmed Donovan Lewis as he lay in his bed,” lawyers representing Lewis’s mother said.
“CPD bodycam video clearly showed this and nothing has changed in almost a year. While Mr. Lewis’s family is happy that his killer will soon appear before a jury of his peers, they are incredibly disappointed that it has taken so long to come to this conclusion in the first place.
‘Mr. Lewis’ family understands that while there are many good officers who do their best to protect civilians, they must be held accountable when an officer violates policy or violates the law.
“While prosecutors pursue Mr. Anderson in the criminal case, we will continue to fight for justice and accountability in our civil case. We hope that no other parent has to bury their child as a result of a reckless act by a member of the police force.”
The Columbus chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police released a statement in response to the charges.
Brian Steel, executive vice president of the police union, said: “While the grand jury plays an important role in our justice system, the grand jurors hear only the evidence the prosecution wants to hear.
“There’s no lawyer, no cross-examination, no judge, essentially no rules.”
Bodycam footage shows two men exiting the apartment with their hands up and handcuffed
Police knocked eight minutes before the first of the two men emerged from the apartment
One of the two was asked who else was in the apartment, and said they didn’t know
Mark Collins, the attorney representing Anderson, said it’s “not about whether Ricky Anderson made the decision to use deadly force, but why he made the decision to use deadly force.’
“As we progress in the court cases, the evidence will show that it was because he was entitled to it,” he added.
Lewis’s family has been demanding answers since he was shot dead while sitting with only a vape pen in his hand.
Rex Elliott, a lawyer for the Lewis family, previously said Anderson was “totally reckless.”
“The bodycam footage released yesterday afternoon says it all,” Elliott said.
In literally the blink of an eye, a Columbus police officer shot and killed Donovan Lewis, an unarmed young black man lying alone in his bed in the middle of the night.
“As a result of this utterly reckless behavior by a Columbus police officer, a family must mourn the loss of such a young soul.”
CCTV footage shows at least three officers arriving at the Sullivant Avenue apartment complex.
They served an arrest warrant for domestic violence, assault, and gun-related incidents on the second floor of the apartment complex.
The video shows the officers knocking outside the door for at least eight minutes and yelling at those inside to come out.
Two men came out of the apartment, were handcuffed and asked to sit near a wall.
The K-9 is seen searching the apartment and targeting the bedroom where Lewis was in bed
Anderson is seen restraining his dog shortly after the fatal shooting
The shot was fired by Anderson (right, with the dog) less than a second after the door opened
An officer asks if Donovan Lewis is inside, and the man replies that he doesn’t know who’s inside, as he was asleep.
A K-9, handled by Anderson, is brought in and released into the apartment. The dog barks at a bedroom door, indicating that a person is inside.
Seconds later, a dog is seen barking in a back bedroom, prompting Anderson to leash K-9 and push open the door.
“We’re going to send that dog in,” you hear a cop say just before Anderson pushes the door open.
The light from another officer’s gun shines on Lewis as another officer shouts, “Hands!”
Anderson is seen firing a shot at Lewis less than a second later as he begins to sit up in a bed pushed into the back corner of the room.
Lewis can be seen raising his right hand towards officers, while his left hand is still back at the pillow.
An officer then demands that Lewis “creep over here,” but he remains on the bed.
They enter the room and search for weapons before handcuffing him and telling him to “stop resisting.” A vape pen was found next to him.
Officers stand outside the complex after the fatal shooting of Lewis
Lewis is carried out of the apartment and taken to a waiting ambulance. But he died in the hospital.
“Frame by frame, the video reveals the truth: three white officers, accompanied by an aggressive K9 dog, shot an unarmed 20-year-old in cold blood as he sat upright in his bed, in compliance with police orders,” said attorney Elliott.
Columbus police chief Elaine Bryant said the bodycam footage was released because the department wanted full transparency in the investigation.
“Donovan Lewis lost his life,” she said.
“As a parent, I live and grieve with his mother. I grieve with our community.
Every day, agents find themselves in compromising, sometimes life-threatening situations in which we have to make split-second decisions.
“As chief, it’s my job to hold my officers accountable, but it’s also my job to support them and make sure I give them that during the trial.
“If they do the right things for the right reasons, we will support them. If they do something wrong, they will be called to account.’