CPD: Rape Suspect Fatally Shot By Police Was Unarmed
Police say the rape suspect who was shot and killed on a local interstate was unarmed at the time of his death.
COLUMBUS, Ohio —Police said Friday the rape suspect who was shot and killed on a local interstate was unarmed at the time of his death.
Columbus police said that Abram Bynum made two separate motions that made it appear he was reaching for a gun, NBC 4‘s Mike Bowersock reported.
Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner said all indications are that the chase, crash and shooting was a “suicide by cop” scenario in which a suspect hopes to be shot and killed by officers.
“As officers are trying to save his life there were movements gestures made by him, which made the officers believe that he was preparing to fire upon them,“ said Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner.
Bynum was shot after a police pursuit that began Tuesday at about 4 p.m. at Beechwood and Main and continued onto Interstate 70 on the city’s east side.
During the pursuit, Bynum crossed the median and collided head-on with a tanker truck.
When officers approached the suspect, he was still moving and appeared to be reaching for a weapon and was shot by police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they believe the six officers who fired upon Bynum acted correctly.
It was announced Thursday evening that Bynum died as a result of gunshot wounds to the hands, head and chest area.
The Fairfield County coroner said the injuries sustained in the crash were relatively minor and non-life-threatening.
Bynum is the suspected High Desert Rapist, who is believed to be responsible for a series of rapes in Los Angeles County from 2004 to 2007.
Bynum has not been linked to any rapes in Columbus, but DNA linked him to several rapes in Los Angeles.
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Reader Reactions
Should be a death sentence.Rape is a civil rights violation-just like the race card my clueless friend.I defend ALL victims of rape,young or old,black or any other race.Most victims agree that rape should be punishable by death.Like I said,if it were you(men)that couldn’t safely go about your daily business without the threat of abduction and/or rape,you’d change your tune.
What if it were your daughter? Put that in your mouth
it had nothing to do with him being black, he could have been purple with green poka dots and he would still be laying in the morgue. He was a convicted felon that posed a threat. Rapists are the lowest most worthless forms of life there is regardless of their color. Child sex offenders and rapists should all be put to death, they are a THREAT and cannot be rehabilitated
KE1984—-Was it an unarmed black man killed? Where in the US do rapist get sentenced to death? I just stated facts. You mam wouldn’t know the race card if I pulled it out and put it in your mouth.
How do you know what color the cops were? That is all beside the point anyways.
I absolutely agree with you Mike.He DID POSE A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.I swear,if men were getting raped every second of the day,like women are in the U.S.,maybe then you’d care Landru.
He violated his victims’ civil rights-specifically the freedom of movement from one place to the next.Why should anyone care what happened to him?He precipitated this action and got exactly what he deserved.Much more humane than what his victims have to live with.Not just emotional damage,but he could have had AIDS or any number of fatal diseases.
My daughters pay their taxes,but aren’t equally represented under the law.What a joke(a very sick one).
let me help you all out with this…The cops shot him, he dead…that won’t change. I don’t care what color he was, he was a scum bag and a threat to society…I’m glad they shot him. I think rape should be an executable offense anyway. End of story, no matter how much some of you complain he is dead and not coming back…move on with your lives
Tupac- Really an unarmed black man? Stop pulling the race card, he got what he deserved.
I don’t believe that either the suspect’s vehicle nor his ‘member’ was an immediate threat to any of the cops who killed him.
Look he attempted to kill the truck driver that he slammed into.His weapon(in this case was his vehicle),in the rapes,it was his possibly disease infested “member”.
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