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Review Board Clears Officers In Death of Franklinton Man

WCBE files

A Columbus police review has concluded two officers who fatally shot an African-American man last summer followed department policy on using force. 

The Firearms/Police-Involved Death Review Board says officers Samuel James and Marc Johnson  were responding to a perceived threat when they shot 30-year-old Kareem Ali Nadir Jones in Franklinton in July.  Police say they spotted Jones walking between cars and behaving erratically.  Police say he refused to drop to the ground when ordered, and body camera video appears to show him reaching for the gun.  Jones' sister says she believes he was trying to toss the gun.  The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the officers, alleging the shooting was unjustified and the officers conspired to provide misleading information about what happened.   The lawsuit also alleged the shooting was part of a pattern of unreasonable use-of-force.  The Justice Department dropped a lawsuit against Columbus over its use-of-force practices in 2002, after concluding Columbus had made policy changes to help curb racial profiling and excessive force by police.
 

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.
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