Family mourns Donovan Lewis at funeral; Columbus police change warrant policy after fatal police shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ahead of a Saturday funeral for Donovan Lewis, the 20-year-old unarmed man who was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer on Aug. 30, the city’s police chief issued a policy change for late-night warrants.

Columbus police officer Ricky Anderson fatally shot Lewis during an attempted arrest. Lewis, who was wanted on charges of domestic violence, assault and improper handling of a firearm, was in bed at the time of the shooting.

Body camera footage showed Anderson draw his weapon before opening the bedroom door. After an officer yells “Hands!” and shines a light on Lewis as he sits up in bed, Anderson fires a single shot.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said Lewis had what appeared to be a vape pen in his hand during the shooting.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is probing the shooting. Anderson, a 30-year police veteran who was assigned to the canine unit, and three other officers have been placed on administrative leave.

The shooting sparked protests across Columbus as demonstrators demanded police accountability.

WHAT HAPPENED TO DONOVAN LEWIS:Protests planned after Columbus fatal police shooting

Family holds funeral for Donovan Lewis

Mourners cried while viewing Lewis’s body, laid in an open casket surrounded by flowers at the front of the Columbus chapel where his funeral took place Saturday afternoon.

Numerous friends and family spoke of Lewis as a caring person who would check up on his friends; who loved art and music; who forgave; who was respectful to his elders and loved his family; who could quote Bible verses; who was excited about his unborn child on the way; and who would be missed.

The Rev. Jeremiah Posey Sr. told the crowd that Lewis deserves justice.

“He wasn’t armed. He wasn’t dangerous. He wasn’t America’s most wanted,” Posey said. “He was just Donovan.”

Westerville Central High School, located northeast of Columbus, held a moment of silence before a Friday football game. Lewis graduated from the school in 2020 and was a middle linebacker and tight end for the football team.

Columbus police change warrant policy

On Thursday, Bryant issued an internal memo changing the department’s policy on serving warrants overnight on certain wanted suspects in the wake of the fatal shooting.

Effective immediately, no preplanned arrest warrants may be served by Columbus police at private residences between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. for misdemeanor warrants — including domestic violence — or nonviolent felony warrants unless approved by a lieutenant or higher rank, according to the internal memo.

A preplanned warrant is one where the sole reason an officer is going to an address is to serve a warrant, Bryant said. The change in policy does not apply to the SWAT or other tactical units, she said.

Bryant issued the internal memo about an hour after the start of a news conference in front of Columbus City Hall, where Rex Elliott, an attorney representing Lewis’s family, called for an end to overnight warrant serves.

Elliott said the practice should end “unless there’s dangerous, exigent circumstances.”

‘NO JUSTIFICATION’:Family calls for accountability after unarmed man fatally shot by Columbus police

Columbus police did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the timing of the policy change.

Elliott told the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the quick action by the police chief is a “good first step” that gives hope for change within the police division.

“It’s a start, but it’s a clear admission that what happened that night was unnecessary and avoidable,” Elliott said.