Bodycam Shows Ohio Police Firing at Black Suspect After He Drives Car at Officer
Bodycam footage of a police-involved shooting in Oregon, Ohio, in which an unarmed black suspect was injured, was released by police on Thursday, June 18, and it shows officers firing on the suspect after he drives his car at one of them.
The suspect, 30-year-old Victor Dale Jr, was hit in the neck and shoulder, and has since been released from hospital, according to the Toledo Blade. The officers involved were named as Joel Turner and Logan Nitkiewicz.
Police were in the area responding to a 911 call that was discovered to be a prank when they received two reports of a man assaulting a woman nearby. In the bodycam footage, Turner approaches Dale Jr and a woman, and asks, "Are you the ones that are fighting?” The woman says that “everything is OK,” and shortly afterwards Dale Jr begins to walk away, at which point Turner says, “Mind just hanging tight for me?”
Dale Jr enters his car and locks the door. Bodycam footage shows Turner drawing his gun as he stands in front of the car as Nitkiewicz approaches. The car then lurches forward, and the officers open fire, expending 21 rounds. According to NBC24, it was determined that Dale Jr was unarmed.
An investigation into the incident is continuing, with both officers placed on leave, according to Oregon Police Chief Mike Navarre as quoted in media reports. Credit: Oregon Police Department via Storyful
