Body-camera footage released on Wednesday shows the fatal shooting of Miles Jackson, a 27-year-old black man, by police officers at Mount Carmel St Ann’s hospital in Westerville, Ohio, after a struggle over a gun discovered during a pat-down.
Officers Eric Everhart and David Lammert, both white, were conducting a routine search of Jackson in the emergency room on Monday in preparation for a custody exchange related to outstanding warrants. During the pat-down, an officer felt a gun in Jackson's waistband, leading to a physical struggle. The video shows one officer deploying a stun gun after they fell to the floor, and a shot from Jackson's gun is heard.
The officers retreated from the room, and a standoff ensued. Columbus police officers Andrew Howe and Ryan Krichbaum, both 15-year veterans, arrived and exchanged fire with Jackson. After minutes of commands, a second stun gun use and another shot, officers opened fire, killing Jackson. Emergency room staff attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Earlier that day, Jackson had been brought to the hospital, walked away, and was found in a bank parking lot. A brief pat-down by a Westerville officer at that time did not find the weapon. Once back in the emergency room, an officer handcuffed Jackson's left hand to the bed briefly, then removed it and began collecting his property. A bullet fell from his pants, and the officer remarked, 'Uh oh. Got a little bullet action.'
Westerville Police Chief Charles placed officers Everhart and Lammert on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, which will be on hold while the Ohio Attorney General conducts an independent probe. Columbus police identified Howe and Krichbaum as the officers who fired the fatal shots.
