COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Division of Police released body camera video from an incident on the city's north side that occurred earlier this year which led to the firing of an officer this week.
Officer Donovan Bever is accused of out-of-policy use of force against a minor during an incident in February.
On Feb. 19, Bever and his partner were on duty and stopped two 14-year-olds for standing in the road.
The bodycam video shows Bever holding his gun and running over to his partner who was already handcuffing one of the teens on the ground. Bever is then seen getting on top of the other teen, who was already on the ground and grabs his hair, forcing his head to the ground.
Bever is seen repeatedly pushing the teen's head to the ground while attempting to put handcuffs on him. Once the teen is handcuffed, Bever rolls him onto his side and proceeds to remove items from the teen's pockets, throwing them at his face. When Bever rolls the teen over on his other side to continue searching, the teen is visibly bleeding from his mouth.
After Bever searches the teen, they stand up and Bever is seen grabbing the teen's hair and quickly walking him through a field of grass to the cruiser, passing several other officers walking past.
Once arriving at the cruiser, Bever lets go of the teen's hair and proceeds to search his pants and sweatshirt pockets again before putting him into the back of the car.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant says this was an inappropriate use of force and she is disappointed in Bever's behavior.
"I was upset, I was disappointed. I was frustrated that we would have officers that represent the Columbus Division of Police that would behave in that manner," she said.
According to a timeline from police, the incident occurred just before 4:10 p.m. when the officers initiated contact with the teens in the area of East 11th Avenue and Saint Clair Avenue, located in South Linden.
Following the incident, a use of force investigation was initiated by a sergeant who responded to the scene.
Later that night after interviewing the teen and reviewing the bodycam video, Bever was relieved of assignment.
From Feb. 19 until the beginning of June, an administrative investigation was conducted and reviewed. Chief Bryant approved the charges against Bever on June 3.
On June 10, Bever's disciplinary hearing was held before Chief Bryant and Columbus Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti where he was officially terminated.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther issued a statement on X Friday afternoon acknowledging Bryant and Pishotti's swift action in addressing this incident.
"I am grateful to Chief Bryant and Public Safety Director Pishotti for their thoughtful leadership and swift action in addressing the Feb. 19 incident involving Officer Bever. We all believe in holding our officers to the highest possible standard — celebrating and rewarding excellence whenever we can while calling out and correcting bad behavior when it occurs," Ginther wrote.
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said he stands with Bryant in "her quick investigation and decisive action." He released the following statement:
"I’ve reviewed the body camera video of an outrageous abuse of force against two young boys. I support Chief Bryant’s swift decision to fire the officer, whose actions defied their training and mission to build trust. I’m angry how this one officer’s petty power trip calls into question the integrity and hard work of the entire Division.
I am sending my sincere regrets to the boys and to their families. We are working to build a City where young black boys like my son Noah or my nephew Christian can walk in their neighborhoods without being judged as a threat by the Officers they trust to keep them safe."
Pishotti released the following statement:
“Officer Bever’s actions were unacceptable, and as it pertains to his employment, indefensible. What I saw on that video and read in this investigation was wholly incompatible with the values of the Columbus Division of Police. That is why after carefully considering all of the evidence, I have accepted the recommendation of Chief Bryant and terminated Donovan Bever’s employment. The men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our city safe deserve better. Our community deserves better, and that 14-year-old deserved better."