The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Body cam video shows confrontation, shooting at hospital
Officers conducting a routine patdown of a man in a hospital emergency room found a gun in his waistband, which spurred a struggle over the weapon and a standoff that ended in officers killing him, according to police body cam footage released Wednesday.
Officers had been searching Miles Jackson, who was Black, at the hospital Monday in preparation of a custody exchange for warrants he had out for his arrest. Jackson began to struggle with officers after they felt the gun in his pants, video shows.
The two officers and Jackson fall to the floor, where one officer uses a stun gun on him and another attempts to pull his hands away from his waistband. A shot can then be heard in the video, apparently from the gun in Jackson’s waistband.
Officers repeatedly shouted at Jackson, 27, to raise his right hand and put it on his head after the initial struggle, video shows. An officer then uses a stun gun on Jackson for a second time — who is on his side on the hospital room floor — and another shot can be heard in the video. Officers then open fire.
Jackson died in the shooting at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital in suburban Columbus.
Jackson had apparently been in the hospital earlier that day, was released, and then was found passed out in a nearby bank parking lot. Officers from suburban Westerville responded to that call and followed medics taking Jackson back to the hospital, according to police accounts and 911 calls released Wednesday.
Before Jackson is taken to the hospital, a Westerville officer pats him down briefly, according to footage from the officer’s body cam video.
“I’m just going to pat you down real quick, make sure you ain’t got nothing on you, right, no weapons, nothing like that?” the officer says. Jackson repeatedly asks for a cigarette, saying he has anxiety.
Columbus police were called to the hospital because Jackson had outstanding warrants in the city.
Once Jackson is in a hospital room in the emergency room, an officer asks, “You don’t have nothing sharp in your pockets, do you? Hopefully somebody would have caught that earlier.” A minute later, a bullet drops from Jackson’s pants.
“Uh oh. Got a little bullet action,” the officer says calmly as he picks it up. “Don’t see people carrying those around every day.”
Within the next minute, the officer tells his fellow officer to get Jackson’s arm around him and the struggle begins.
The two officers take cover with guns drawn after a shot is heard, video shows. For several minutes after, officers outside the room shout at Jackson, now lying on the floor, to put his right hand over his head. One Columbus officer is still in the room, behind the bed, with his gun pointed in Jackson’s direction, a video shows.
“I’m just scared, guys,” Jackson said at one point. Later, he said, “So if I move y’all not going to shoot me. They’re not going to shoot me?”
A female police officer again instructed Jackson to raise his right hand, which is not visible.
“Slowly put your right hand up in the air. Slowly,” she says. When Jackson said he is putting the gun down, the officer says, “Do not touch the gun. Let go of the gun and put both of your hands up over your head.”
The second use of the taser, the shot and then the police shooting erupt within seconds after that, the video shows.
On Wednesday, Westerville’s police chief placed the two officers who initially came into contact with Jackson on administrative leave.
“It is not customary to publicly report on personnel matters, but we are committed to transparency and fully understand the attention to this incident,” Chief Charles Chandler said in a statement. “I have viewed the body camera footage from the initial contact with Miles Jackson and have concerns that warrant further review.”
The department will keep officers Eric Everhart and David Lammert on leave while an internal investigation into the shooting is conducted. But the department’s probe cannot overlap or interfere with the independent investigation Attorney General Dave Yost is conducting, Charles said, so it will be on hold until that is completed.
“I want to assure the citizens of Westerville that if policy violations are found, there will be an appropriate level of accountability,” Chandler said.
Columbus police identified the officers in the shooting as Andrew Howe and Ryan Krichbaum, both 15 year veterans of the agency.
Westerville has not released information about their officers who were on the scene.
Emergency room staff tried to revive Jackson, who was pronounced dead, authorities said. No officers, hospital staff or physicians were injured, officials said.
Franklin County Municipal Court issued an arrest warrant for Jackson on March 17 after he failed to appear for hearing. He was arrested and charged with assault, domestic violence, falsification and resisting arrest on Feb. 20.
Late Tuesday night, Columbus police in Ohio’s capital city used pepper spray on a small group of people who briefly breached outer doors at the agency’s downtown headquarters.