Posted on 07/22/2012 9:32:41 PM PDT by Altariel
Maybe if the police officer had arrived just a minute later, the young man would still be alive.
That’s what the friends and family of Destin Thomas say, after Columbus police confirmed yesterday that it was one of their own officers who shot and killed Thomas while responding to a 911 call he had made on Tuesday morning.
Police gave few details yesterday about what happened between the 21-year-old Thomas and Officer William Kaufman, a 17-year veteran, citing the ongoing investigation.
They said that Kaufman shot Thomas twice, in his hip and chest. Thomas died at the scene.
“The fact that they’re trying to justify it, no apology or nothing, (just saying), ‘Oh, we’re just doing what we were trained to do,’” said Thomas’ cousin Derek Harris, 24. “I didn’t know you were trained to kill the person you were supposed to help.”
Police also said yesterday that they’ve charged a man who they had said earlier was thought to be involved in the break-in at Thomas’ Far East Side apartment — the reason that Thomas had called police.
David J. O’Neal, 19, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, is charged with grand theft auto, vandalism and receiving stolen property — all fourth-degree felonies — as well as a count of obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony.
All of those charges are in connection to a stolen police cruiser that authorities say O’Neal took from an officer who was patrolling about a half-mile from Thomas’ apartment on Tuesday afternoon.
So far, O’Neal hasn’t been charged in the break-in, though Sgt. Rich Weiner, spokesman for Columbus police, said other charges could be filed. O’Neal was in the Fairfield County jail tonight under $500,000 bond.
Thomas was found with a gun next to his body, but police haven’t said where that gun came from or whether Thomas even had it in his hand when he was shot.
His roommate and cousin have both said that Thomas didn’t own a gun, and they think he somehow got the weapon off the men who broke into his apartment at 7277 Brooke Blvd.
Thomas’ roommate, DelShawn Walker, 22, said his friend had no interest in guns. “He said on several occasions, ‘I don’t plan on getting a gun. I don’t need one,’” he said.
Walker and Harris are angry with police. Thomas was the one the police were supposed to be protecting, they said.
“If (the officer) didn’t show up on time, he’d still be alive today, because he did their job for them (by chasing the burglars out),” Harris said.
Police have said that Officer Kaufman saw Thomas and another man run from the apartment. A neighbor said that a third man also ran from it, though police so far have arrested only O'Neal.
When Thomas called 911 at 8:46 a.m. Tuesday, he said in a whispered voice that people had broken into his apartment and he could hear them talking.
O’Neal was caught several hours later when Police Officer Billie Camp-Donovan saw him and recognized him as a suspect wanted in connection with the break-in. She jumped from her cruiser to chase him, and he doubled back and stole the cruiser, police say. Camp-Donovan then fired six gunshots at the cruiser, though she didn’t hit O’Neal.
The county prosecutor’s office will review both officers’ actions.
Walker and Harris wonder why, if Thomas was holding a gun when he ran from his apartment, the officer didn’t ask him to put it down. Knowing Thomas, they said, he would have immediately.
“I honestly believe he was trying to tell them, ‘I’m the one who called you,’” Walker said. “But they didn’t give him a chance.”
Police officers, though, say they have little time to sort out a situation when someone is holding a weapon.
Because of the rash of recent police shootings, officers held a demonstration of how they handle confrontations with armed people for media representatives at the Police Training Academy today.
Columbus Police Chief Kimberley Jacobs said it’s impossible for officers to predict what a person intends to do when that person approaches with a weapon.
“We have to be able to react in instantaneous fashion,” she said.
Asked if she was concerned that Thomas might have been wrongly shot, she said it “would be concerning if someone who has no (malicious intent) toward an officer was shot.”
“But we can’t predict that, and we can’t know that when someone has a gun in their hand.”
That explanation is little comfort to Thomas’ friend and cousin.
Sergeant - US Army - Viet Nam - Iron Triangle 1970-71
What newspaper claims the victim was “brandishing” a weapon?
“It was reported in the newspaper, in the news and originally stated by the police, that he was carrying a weapon when he came running out of the apartment.”
You do realize that “carrying” and “brandishing” have separate meanings, and you have failed to establish any source demonstrating he was so much as “carrying” a weapon.
Sounds like they’ve already got their story straightened out.
Why don’t you take the time to read the article in this post. In two separate paragraphs it is mentioned that he had a gun in his hand. Then I will take your apology. The original reports on the local news said he was told to drop his weapon and he refused.
Reread the article. Nowhere does it state that he had a gun in his hand.
In fact, it specifically states:
“Thomas was found with a gun next to his body, but police haven’t said where that gun came from or whether Thomas even had it in his hand when he was shot. “
Local news articles are available on the Internet; that you have not supplied them suggests none of them corroborate your “brandishing” claim.
“But we can’t predict that, and we can’t know that when someone has a gun in their hand.”
That explanation is little comfort to Thomas’ friend and cousin.
Columbus Police Chief Kimberley Jacobs said it’s impossible for officers to predict what a person intends to do when that person approaches with a weapon.
Police officers, though, say they have little time to sort out a situation when someone is holding a weapon.
And the same to you my FRiend.
God bless you and WELCOME home
“Columbus Police Chief Kimberley Jacobs said it’s impossible for officers to predict what a person intends to do when that person approaches with a weapon.”
This is not, grammatically or logically, equivalent to your claim that the victim was brandishing a weapon.
“Police officers, though, say they have little time to sort out a situation when someone is holding a weapon.”
This is not, grammatically or logically, equivalent to your claim that the victim was brandishing a gun.
Nor does it establish that the victim was brandishing a gun.
“But we can’t predict that, and we can’t know that when someone has a gun in their hand.”
That explanation is little comfort to Thomas’ friend and cousin.
This is not, grammatically or logically, equivalent to your claim that the victim was brandishing a gun.
I am beginning to think that English may not be your first language, if you truly cannot discern the difference between a hypothetical subject and the actual victim.
If the original police claims are true, that this person ran out the door with a gun towards them, then I consider this brandishing a weapon. You refused to accept the fact that the very article you used in this thread, mentioned three times that the victim had a weapon in his hands. I gave you all three quotes from your article and you are still harassing and misquoting me as well as my intent. Stop or I will have a moderator stop you.
Last word irrelevent; honesty is what we need, not support for mystery babylon.
No, the article did not mention that the victim had a gun in his hand. The article specifically stated:
“Thomas was found with a gun next to his body, but police haven’t said where that gun came from or whether Thomas even had it in his hand when he was shot. “
You have deliberately falsified that information and are continuing to attempt to spread misinformation.
I suppose Obama’s men need people like you to encourage the development of his pet projects: “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded [as the military].”
Are you ready to admit that you have lied about what the article actually states about the victim?
Nowhere in the article did the police make that claim. That is a bald-faced lie.
You have been repeatedly reminded that the gun was located *next to* the body of the victim, and the police specifically did *not* claim the victim held the gun.
“Thomas was found with a gun next to his body, but police haven’t said where that gun came from or whether Thomas even had it in his hand when he was shot. “
By claiming otherwise, you are deliberately spreading misinformation on Free Republic. You are being intellectually and morally dishonest in making those claims and have not had the decency to say “I read the article incorrectly” or “I misunderstood; English is not my first language”.
Since you have not admitted to either, I believe it reasonable to assume the third alternative is accurate: you are aware of the truth, but wish to spread misinformation on Free Republic, because you don’t wish the truth to get out.
Bad form, Sir, and disgraceful for a conservative.
Sir, we need more peace officers like you, especially now.
Thank you for your service.
I am honored and thank you so much.
Blessings
Be sure and read the entire article. Especially paragraph six and seven.
Veteran Columbus Ohio Police Officer William Kaufman Shot And Killed Burglary Victim
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Police say they believe the fatal gunshot wound to a man who lived in an apartment that was being burglarized earlier this week came from the responding police officer.
..
Destin Thomas, 21, died from a gunshot wound after a burglary at an east side apartment on Brooke Blvd. Tuesday morning.
Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner said the department is confident that the injuries to Thomas were received from the officer’s weapon.
Weiner said police are conducting a ballistics test to confirm, but that they reached the conclusion based on the coroner’s report.
It all started at about 8:45 a.m. when police were called to the reported burglary and shots fired at the apartment.
Police said two suspects came out of the apartment, followed by Thomas, who was carrying a gun.
According to CPD, during a confrontation with police, an officer fired his weapon.
According to the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office, Thomas sustained two gunshot wounds – one to the hip and one to the chest. The coroner said the chest wound was fatal.
About five hours later, police spotted the two possible suspects from the burglary.
One of the suspects allegedly stole a police cruiser in the area of Tussing Road and Penobscott.
The officer fired gunshots at the cruiser and suspect, who eventually crashed into a row of air conditioning units at an apartment complex.
He was hospitalized and treated for minor injuries.
The suspect was identified as 19-year-old David J. O’Neal. He was released from the hospital and taken into custody Thursday.
Police said he is charged with four felony charges: grand theft auto, receiving stolen property, vandalism, and obstructing official business.
O’Neal appeared before a Fairfield County Judge Thursday, and bond was set at $500,000.
Police are still searching for the second suspect in connection with the burglary. He is described as a black male, 6 feet tall, with short dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing gray shorts and a black T-shirt.
According to Columbus police, Officer William Kaufman, a 17-year veteran, fired shots at the location on Brooke Blvd.
Officer Billie Camp-Donovan, a 15-year veteran, fired shots at the intersection of Tussing Road and Penobscott.
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