COLUMBUS — Columbus police say an officer fatally shot a murder suspect who was seen with a gun in his jacket before he ran from police and was ordered to stop in a confrontation with officers.
UPDATE: The officers involved were identified as Ofc. Stephen Galiffo, a 29-year veteran of the division; Ofc. James Sandford, a 27-year veteran, and Ofc. Anthony Rogers, a 26-year veteran assigned to the K-9 Unit, according to spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner.
The shooting is still under investigation by the Critical Incident Response Team.
Police say officers caught up to the 20-year-old man late Friday morning behind a home in an east side neighborhood that abuts Interstate 270. They say the suspect, Jacquarius Robinson, was shot multiple times and died at the scene.
Police say a handgun was recovered. No officers were hurt.
Robinson was black. Police haven’t said whether more than one officer fired or disclosed the race of any officers involved.
Police say Robinson was suspected of fatally shooting a 21-year-old man overnight in an argument at an apartment about a mile away.
SWAT officers tracked Robinson to the 1300 block of Knollwood Drive East just before 11:00 a.m. where he was seen leaving a house and walked by a plain-clothes officer who was searching the area, police spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner said.
The officer saw Robinson transfer a gun from his waistband to his jacket and alerted responding officers. When a marked K-9 unit to stop him Weiner says Robinson looked back and ran away when he saw the K-9 officer.
Witnesses told police the officer, his K-9 companion and two SWAT officers caught up to Robinson in the back yard of a home and ordered him to stop, Weiner said.
The witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots but said they did not witness the shooting, he said.
Robinson was struck multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene.
This is the 14th police involved shooting this year in Columbus, where demonstrators have protested against the fatal shootings of Henry Green and 13-year-old Tyre King, both also black.