COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rebecca Duran said there is a lot of talk but little action when it comes to justice for her son.
Her son, Donovan Lewis, was shot last month by a Columbus police officer. It happened Aug. 30 when officers were serving warrants on Lewis for domestic violence, assault and firearm charges. Body camera footage shows officers standing outside the bedroom door of Lewis and issuing commands. The door is then opened, Lewis sits up in bed, and Officer Ricky Anderson fires a deadly shot.
“First and foremost, I want the officer that actually shot him to be fired, indicted,” Duran said. “I want him to be in jail for what he did. What he did is criminal. He murdered my son.”
Duran and her attorneys, Rex Elliott and Michael Wright, also raised concerns about the time it took for officers to render aid, especially in light of Andre’s Law, which was enacted by Columbus City Council last year.
A 10TV review of body camera footage shows it took roughly 3.5 minutes for officers to render aid to Lewis after he was shot. Duran’s attorneys say it should have been immediate.
Elliott also pointed to concerns raised in Officer Anderson’s personnel file. He was terminated back in 2004 after being charged with cashing out nearly $4,000 worth of paychecks from a company for which he no longer worked. Anderson challenged his termination and was later reinstated by an arbitrator.
Elliott also pointed to issues of use of force mentioned in the file. A review found more than 50 investigations and nine times where his use of force was considered outside of policy.
“The question I have is, does violating police policy on use of force, does that matter in a policeman’s evaluation of his or her performance,” Elliott said. “Apparently not. Take these more seriously early in process, had done that, Donovan still here today.”
Mark Collins, who represents Anderson, told 10TV he had not yet reviewed the personnel file.
"Nothing in the officer's personnel file changes the fact that our client was forced to make a split-second, life-or-death decision on use of force,” he said.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is in charge of investigating the case. Once completed, the case will be passed along to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.
10TV also reached out to the city for comment and received a statement from Robin Davis, spokeswoman for Mayor Andrew Ginther.
“We feel and share in Rebecca Duran’s grief and pain over the death of her son Donovan Lewis,” the statement read. “BCI is investigating the shooting. Be assured that internal reviews will take place on every aspect after any criminal investigations conclude, and that the Inspector General has already committed to her own review after the criminal investigation.”
In the meantime, Duran says she will keep fighting for her son and looking forward to the birth of her grandchild, whom she is hoping shares some of her son’s features.
“More than anything, (Donovan) was strong, so I have to be strong, and I will not allow his death to be in vain,” she said. “I won’t stop until we can get real change, not just talking, I’m done talking, it’s time for action, and if I have to devote the rest of my life to that, that’s what I will be out for.”