Body camera footage in Columbus police shooting released as 26-year-old victim identified

Body camera footage released Monday afternoon by Columbus police shows officers responding to a 911 call about a man in a mental health crisis that led to the man being fatally shot.

In a news conference also held Monday, police said one of the two officers on the scene used a stun gun on the man advancing toward them with a knife before firing the fatal gunshots. However, the mother of the man who died said Monday she felt the police response was too aggressive and that officers failed her son.

Colin Jennings, 26, died in the shooting that occurred about 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the 500 block of North Nelson Road.

Columbus police are not identifying the officers involved in the incident, citing Marsy's Law. The officers have 13 and 14 years of experience with the department, respectively, according to police.

The footage released Monday shows the officers approach the apartment complex. One of the officers approaching Jennings is heard saying, “drop the knife” to Jennings before telling the other officer, “get your taser out. Tase him. Tase him. Tase him.”

Within 15 seconds, Jennings walked toward the first responding officer with a knife raised in his right hand. Jennings is heard saying, "Shoot me" and "I want to die."

One of the officers backed up while giving Jennings verbal commands, but Jennings continued to advance toward the officer.

One officer fired their gun three times, striking Jennings at least once, while the other officer deployed his stun gun.

It appeared from the footage that all three shots struck Jennings in the chest and torso area. The Franklin County Coroner's office is conducting an autopsy.

During the news conference, Sgt. Rich Brooks said there are obstacles to deescalation in a situation like the one that unfolded Thursday, such as Jennings' continued approach toward the officers. Brooks also said the stun gun was likely less effective because Jennings was wearing a thick jacket that prevented the probes from making contact with his skin.

Ken Coontz, support services administrator for the Department of Public Safety, said the 911 call from Jennings' boyfriend prompted the police response. He said rhe situation escalated quickly and prevented the ability of alternative responses, such as the Right Response Unit.

"Given the fast-moving developments and the deteriorating situation where the caller himself was put at risk, the concern became urgency," Coontz said.

Within 45 seconds of the 911 call beginning, the caller said Jennings was attempting to take the phone from him, trying to punch the caller in the throat and preventing the caller from leaving the apartment. Coontz also said there had been a previous call to 911 involving Jennings and a weapon, although additional details of that call were not made available.

A review of the incident showed the apartment complex where the shooting occurred was not flagged in an internal system as housing residents with mental health needs, Coontz said.

The shooting took place outside the Creekside Apartments, which is supported by the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Board of Franklin County.

Coontz said that has since been changed in the internal system. Other facilities with similar residencies or needs are asked to call the Department of Public Safety to ensure those facilities are similarly flagged.

There will not be any proactive review of facilities by the Department of Public Safety, Coontz said, because some facilities don't want to be identified as housing people with increased mental health needs.

"We want to be respectful and take that from their cue and not our own," Coontz said.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner