Ohio police officer on leave after driving over Black shooting victim who later died
Police calls the incident an accident but family of the victim want the officer to be held accountable
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A police officer in Ohio has been placed on leave after her dashcam video showed her patrol car driving over a shooting victim lying on a street, authorities said. The man died soon after.
The incident occurred on the night of 13 June, when Springfield police officer Amanda Rosales was responding to a 911 call about a shooting on West Liberty Avenue.
According to the video from inside of the cruise, Ms Rosales was driving the car when she struck an already bleeding Eric Cole, reported NBC News.
Cole, a Black man, was flown to a hospital but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, police chief Lee Graf said at a news conference on Wednesday. The cause of death, however, is unclear at the moment and Montgomery County Coroner’s Office is working to determine it.
Even though police have called it an “accident”, Cole’s family has asked why they were not immediately informed about Ms Rosales’s vehicle running him over.
“The lead officer was trying to catch addresses on the house. Eric was lying in the street,” police chief Lee Graf said during a tense media briefing attended by Cole’s relatives. “This was an accident. It doesn’t mean it’s OK. It was an accident. This was not an intentional act on the part of the officer. I am sure of that.”
The dashcam video released to several media outlets shows Cole lying in a street in a white shirt and blue shorts. His shirt was covered in blood when the police car arriving at the scene struck him.
Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating “the vehicle-pedestrian accident” while Springfield Police Division is probing the shooting incident, reported the USA Today.
Ms Rosales has been placed on administrative leave.
Cole’s mother, Regina Wilson, however, was unconvinced by the explanation offered by the police, and asked why were they not told “that [Rosales] ran over my son.”
“I want the officer held accountable just like if they get the suspect, they will hold him accountable,” Ms Wilson was quoted as saying by NBC affiliate WDTN.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments