During a police operation in Columbus, Ohio, an African American was killed for the second time within a few weeks. Andre Hill, 47, died after a police officer shot him. This has now been released, as the mayor of the city of Columbus, Andrew Ginther, said.
Ginther wrote that he was fired for using excessive force, not turning on his body camera, and not helping the dying man on twitter. The officer was initially suspended shortly after the controversial police operation and an investigation was initiated.
The Ohio crime joins several cases of police violence against blacks in the United States. Again and again there were violent protests against racism. The most prominent victim was the African American George Floyd, who was killed in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in late May. Under the motto “Black Lives Matter” there were mass demonstrations against police violence and racism in the USA for months, some of which were overshadowed by riots.
Clear basis for termination
In the current case, the police in Columbus were called to a garage by a local resident last week. When Andre Hill approached her shortly after the officers arrived, the now dismissed policeman is said to have shot him. The seriously injured Hill later died in hospital. Police said he had a cell phone in his left hand when he met the officers. The right hand was not visible. The police did not find a weapon at the scene.
Police chief Thomas Quinlan said Monday the evidence provided a clear basis for the police officer’s resignation. This must now face the investigators’ questions. The head of the agency had already found clear words shortly after the controversial operation: the official’s violation of the agency’s rules cost an innocent man’s life.
It was only at the beginning of December that another African American was killed in a police operation in Columbus. According to police, an officer shot the 23-year-old named Casey Goodson while looking for suspects. Goodson was not the person I was looking for. His family’s lawyers made serious charges against the police.