CPD IDs Officers Involved In Fatal Confrontation
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Police-Involved Shooting
A robbery suspect was fatally shot by CPD Friday morning.
NBC 4
UPDATE: CPD releases new information after a robbery ends in an police-involved shooting and a suspect’s death.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—An overnight robbery ended in a police-involved shooting and a suspect’s death early Friday, according to authorities.
NBC 4’s Matt Alvarez reported with the FAST FACTS.
CPD officers were returning from a surveillance operation around 2:40 a.m. Friday when they heard a gunshot coming from the BP gas station at the corner of East Broad Street and North James Road.
Officers were driving through the intersection when they heard the gunshot and observed a man running from the parking lot with a gun, according to a CPD release.
“They just happened to be driving southbound on the road. When they approached the intersection, they heard one gunshot,” CPD Sergeant Rich Weiner said.
CPD said the suspect was robbing a man in the gas-station parking lot at gunpoint.
Officers chased the suspect to the rear of a nearby CVS pharmacy parking lot where he was shot, CPD said.
He was transported to Grant Medical Center in critical condition. He died from his injuries a short time later.
A handgun was recovered at the scene, authorities said.
“Once we get done with all of the interviews, talk to the witnesses—we have multiple witnesses. We’re trying to determine exactly what they saw—whether they saw the robbery on the lot, whether they saw the shooting with police. So, we have a lot of information that we’ve got to go through,” CPD Sergeant Rich Weiner said.
CPD later identified the suspect as 30-year-old James Anthony Hill Jr. CPD said Hill had prior arrests.
Officers were not injured during the incident.
Weiner said officers were wearing tactical gear during the incident.
“I want to make clear that officers were in tactical gear, which clearly marked them as being police officers. So, there’s no way the suspect should have—it shouldn’t have been misconstrued that there were random people engaging. He should have known these were police officers,” Weiner said.
NBC 4 initially reported the suspect fire shots at officers, but CPD said that remained under investigation.
North James Road at East Broad Street remained closed for several hours while police investigated the incident.
There have been six officer-involved shootings, involving CPD, since January 2009.
The officers involved in the incident were Officer David Younker and Officer James Sandford.
Younker is assigned to 10 Precinct B Company and has been with the division for nine years.
Sandford is assigned to the Strategic Response Bureau and has been with the division for 20 years.
As in all police involved shootings, the involved officer(s) will receive mandated psychological support counseling. Officers are also afforded an opportunity to take leave time to assist in recovery from a traumatic experience.
The incident is being investigated by the critical incident response team (made up of specially trained investigators from the homicide squad), and the firearms/police-involved death review board.
The final investigative package will be forwarded to the Columbus Division of Police for review.
For additional information on this developing story, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
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Reader Reactions
Thank you, Kenda. At least the bums that stand at the intersections have the decency to ask for what they need, rather than endanger others to get what they want.
Suppose the police hadn’t caught up with him, and he got away. Great. You just put someone through emotional trauma by threatening their life. He probably would have got less than $100 cash for his actions. That would last him about a weekend. So he’d be bolder next time, and right back at it. How many armed holdups before someone completely innocent gets killed? Maybe someone’s grandmother, or a young child? That’s a better outcome?
I’d like to know what makes these people feel that they have a right to take others’ property? Why do they feel they are entitled? I had a poor childhood, but I got a job early in life and worked for what I needed. I didn’t expect the world to take care of me. Don’t blame it on their childhood for heaven’s sake. The only person responsible for one’s actions is one’s self. I’ve been robbed, and I’ve been raped by a stranger breaking into my home. I’ve had a loved one simply doing his job and being murdered for the $30 that was in the till. There is NOTHING that justifies any of that! Criminals have no right to do what they do. You know it, I know it, and you can bet that they know it. It’s just the easy way to get by for those too lazy to try. They deserve whatever punishment they get, be it jail or death. YOU GO, CPD!!!!
Well I feel for the victim/suspect and the families that experience tragedy and I will always be understanding until it involves a murderer or someone who hurts a child. You can never understand ones triumphs or losses until you’ve walked a lifetime in thier shoes.
Not the best ending to the situation, but better than an innocent person losing their life over $20. The police did their job, to protect the public from criminals.
It is not society’s responsibility to care for every person that does not care to excercise good judgement. It is a parent’s decision to bring a child into the world, and it is the parent’s responsibility to see that they are raised properly, with good values, such as respect for others, and for themselves. Once they are adults, they are responsible for their lives and actions.
Stop expecting people to feel sorry for grown adults that make poor decisions. He wasn’t the victim here. I don’t like to hear about young people being killed over petty things, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.
After having a gun shoved into the side of my head 10 years ago so a punk could steal my purse and causing me to still feel that gun barrel at times, I do a happy dance when I hear the police shot one down. One less on the street. Thank you, CPD!
Thelma, i agree woth MightyPorthos. Dont worry what others have to say. No one knows till they’ve lived it. This is tragic and you have to keep your head up. It is time to remember all the good that he did, not his mistakes.
Thelma I am sorry for your loss. I am sorry for the ignorant people who obviously are perfect. I see (and have in my own family) people who get wrapped up in drugs and crime and it is hard as a family member to deal with sometimes. I do not condone his actions and way too often people cannot take ownership of their actions and the consequences they bring. I tried to help my sister get away from drugs and could not save her from her own death. The police have a tough job that too many people are to much of a coward to do but are tough enough to ridicule them. I work in a jail. I see people every day who are trapped in their own issues and no matter who or how many people try to help them they fail because the person does not want to help themselves. Your cousin made his choices right or wrong and paid a price. I can tell you from a person on the inside of of law enforcment that the media only reports bits and pieces of the truth and people are too ignorant not to run their mouths about things they don’t fully know about. Hopefully now your cousin is free of his bondage whatever it was. My orayers are with your family and the officer involved. Pay no attention to the ignorance of people who have nothing better to do than judge people they don’t know anything about and lack the testicular fortitude to be anything but armchair jurors. May God’s peace be with you and your family in this tragic hour.
I wonder why the robber was carrying a loaded “Deadly Weapon” while doing a violent crime? In case he met resistance? In case he felt threatened or someone might I.D him? If the PD might try to apprehend him? If the victim just might be armed? I carry a loaded gun when I go hunting just for one reason to kill an animal I am after. I am happy no CPD officers were physically injured during this. Thank God they do carry guns.
One last comment on:
He was commenting a crime, but he did not kill anyone so therefore there was no a reason for him to be killed as he WAS RUNNING AWAY.
The one point here - he was RUNNING AWAY….do the words “stop or I’ll shoot” not mean anything? Did he not speak or understand the english language? He could have avoided all of this if he would have simply stopped, put the gun down and taken what was coming to him. I don’t wish death on anyone, but if you are going to be stupid enough to risk the lives of others, not to mention those who have sworn to protect at any cost, he deserved what he got, bottom line. So you can read this, and then read it again and again if you so choose, but I will personally thank those officers for protecting your neighborhood because the next one being held up at gun point could be you….... And yes, I did pass middle school literature class as I am sure 99% of the rest of these posters have as well!
Hey Thema it sounds as if you were part of his troubles. If you loved and cared for him 1 Why did you not help him to get off drugs? 2 You knew of his brushes with the law and did not help him to turn his life around. I am glad he got what he got as it is one less peice of crap with a gun running the streets and robbing people as if he had not been put down like the dog he was I know he would have killed somebody that would have been a great loss to this city. So stop your crying you did not care as much as you say about him or his life could have been turned around.
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