Weeks after Donovan Lewis’ family filed a civil lawsuit against a Columbus police officer for his wrongful death, the same cop retired. Now relatives of the 20-year-old are speaking out and demanding answers about how this was allowed.
Lewis was fatally shot by Anderson on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, while in bed. The officer and his colleagues were on a mission to arrest Lewis based on several arrest warrants. Video shows after they, including a K-9 unit, entered his home, opened his bedroom door, and within a split second Anderson shot Lewis dead.
Anderson says he believed the vape pen in Lewis’ hand was a weapon and fired his gun because he believed it was a viable threat. A criminal investigation into whether Anderson’s action was justifiable has been launched and is currently pending.
On Friday, March 3, the Columbus Police Department released a statement to the press saying former-Officer Ricky Anderson “retired in bad standing due to the ongoing criminal and administrative investigations into the death of Donovan Lewis,” according to WSYX.
In February, Lewis’ family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the city of Columbus and all five of the white officers serving him the warrant on that night.
The claim accuses Anderson, specifically, of battery, breach of duty, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, failure to render aid, and violating the young man’s constitutional rights, when he shot him, CBS News reports.
The lawsuit further states the officers did not render medical aid to Lewis immediately after he was wounded.
With such a complaint against him, lawyers for the family say it was “cowardly” for him to retire. They note that not only have they filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, arguing he violated their loved one’s civil rights, but have called for his termination months ago.
Robert Gresham, one of family’s attorneys, said, “The family has been asking for officer Anderson to be fired since August 2022, when the shooting happened.”v
