Family and friends of an 18-year-old man who was shot and killed by a Columbus police sergeant are condemning the sergeant’s actions and are pushing back against the implication that the man was involved in an armed robbery.
Tashawn Davis, a graduate of Dublin Coffman High School, was shot and killed Oct. 12 by a Columbus police sergeant who was responding to a report of an armed robbery around 3:20 a.m. in the University District. Columbus police have refused to identify the officer, citing Marsy’s Law, a state law meant to shield the identities of crime victims.
At an Oct. 16 media briefing, Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant refused to say how the sergeant, a 14-year veteran of the police division, was a victim in connection with the shooting.
Friends and family who spoke with The Dispatch did not want their names published out of privacy concerns. Jayden, 19, who identified himself as Davis’ stepbrother, criticized the officer who shot Davis for resorting to lethal force so quickly, emphasizing that Davis was running away from the officer and didn’t pose a threat to him.
“It was an overkill,” Jayden said.
Body camera video from the shooting presented Oct. 16 by Columbus police shows the sergeant initially responding to an officer-involved crash. At some point, he left the scene to assist other officers who had encountered a group of people who had fled from them.
According to body camera video, the sergeant is seen speaking to a person who apparently flags him down as he is driving, reporting that two men pulled a gun on him. The sergeant tells the man he thinks police arrested one person. The man points to where he saw a suspect run and describes a man who seems to match Davis, according to the video.
The sergeant drives a short distance away and sees Davis at East 8th Avenue and North High Street. He gets out of the cruiser and immediately orders Davis to show his hands or he would shoot. The bodycam video shows Davis running a short distance before the sergeant shoots at least eight times. It’s unclear how many times Davis was shot.
Security camera video from that night shows that after Davis goes down from being shot or hitting the pole, a handgun that his family says was a BB gun falls out of his hand.
Davis was taken in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Downtown, where he later died.
Family and friends push back on robbery narrative
Davis’ family and friends said that while there may have been a robbery in the area the night Davis was killed, he wasn’t involved. They also expressed frustration at how little information Columbus police released in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Jayden and others contend they received the “runaround” from police when they were trying to find out where Davis was or to which hospital he was taken.
When asked why they think Davis ran from the officer, Jayden said it was because he was scared and because he “was trying to make it home” to Dublin.
“(The officer fired) nine shots, and (Davis) was running with his back turned?” Jayden said.
Davis’ friends who were out with him that night also pushed back against the narrative that Davis had robbed anyone. They said that Davis had a BB gun but wouldn’t have robbed anybody.
Police said during a news conference earlier Oct. 16 that Davis did not have a criminal record.
Davis’ father, who also asked for his name not to be published, said his son was just hanging out near the university like young people do. “They may have gotten a little rowdy, but who doesn’t get rowdy?” he asked.
Columbus police have not said whether Davis was involved in an armed robbery. Officers investigating robberies in the University District area detained other people, but Bryant would not say whether they would face charges, citing the active investigation.
As is city policy, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the investigation into the shooting. After that is complete, the Division of Police will conduct its own internal investigation, Bryant said.
(This story was updated to meet our standards.)
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Family, friends of Tashawn Davis say his fatal shooting was ‘overkill’ by police sergeant
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
