A crowd gathered outside of Columbus Police headquarters following former Minnesotan police officer Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict in the murder of George Floyd. Credit: Max Garrison | Asst. Campus Editor
Editor’s note: The Lantern has yet to independently verify the name and age of the teenage victim. We are cautious to declare a particular spelling as correct, since there have been several variations on social media and other reports. Although we are currently seeking confirmation from the police, any information provided by Columbus Police will be met with skepticism and will be subjected to due diligence for confirmation.
Protesters gathered at Columbus Police headquarters and began marching hours after police shot and killed a Black teenage girl in southeast Columbus Tuesday.
More than 100 people, including Ohio State students, called for justice for the victim on Marconi Boulevard with the crowd starting to assemble at 7:30 p.m. Columbus Police have not yet identified the victim or the officer.
“I’m tired of coming out here. I’m tired of crying,” Dejuan Sharp told the crowd. “It could be my daughter. It could be my niece. It could be anyone of y’alls.”
The demonstrators began marching around 9:15 p.m.. They marched downtown before returning to the Columbus Division of Police around 10:30 p.m.. They resumed marching around 11:30 p.m..
Columbus Police received a call about a disturbance at 4:32 p.m. and officers arrived at the scene at 4:44 p.m. to 3171 Legion Lane near Chatterton Road in Southeast Columbus, Michael Woods, interim chief of police for Columbus Police, said in a press conference late Tuesday night.
Police dispatch said officers responded to a 911 call from a woman who said another female was trying to stab her, but the caller hung up soon after.
At the press conference, police showed a shortened video of body camera footage showing an officer — whose name has not yet been released — exiting his vehicle and approaching a group of people. In the video, the victim appears to raise a knife to two females, pushing one on the ground and the other against a car. The video ended shortly after the officer fired what appeared to be four shots at the victim.
A longer version of the body camera footage will be released Wednesday after police have completed the public records process.
Columbus Police public information officer Sgt. James Fuqua did not respond to multiple requests for comment by the time of publication.
