A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer has pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in the August 2022 shooting death of Donovan Lewis, a 20-year-old Black man. Ricky Anderson entered an Alford plea on Wednesday, which means he acknowledged the prosecution had sufficient evidence for a conviction without admitting guilt.
The Franklin County prosecuting attorney's office agreed to drop a murder charge against Anderson as part of the plea agreement. Anderson, who was a K-9 officer with the Columbus Police Department at the time of the shooting, faces a sentencing that could range from probation to three years in prison.
Attorneys for Anderson have stated that evidence would have shown he was justified in using deadly force. However, attorneys for Lewis' family have said body-camera footage appears to show Anderson firing into the bedroom where Lewis was sleeping less than a second after opening the door. The family has a pending civil suit against the former officer.
Police had stated that officers were at Lewis' apartment to arrest him on multiple warrants, including those for domestic violence, assault, and improper handling of a firearm. Lewis was fatally shot by Anderson while lying in bed.
The U.S. Justice Department had previously agreed to review Columbus Police Department practices in 2021. This review followed a series of fatal police shootings of Black individuals, including the 2021 killing of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant, and the city's response to racial injustice protests in 2020.
Rex H. Elliott, an attorney for Lewis' family, stated that the officer's plea was insufficient. "We acknowledge a police officer finally admitting he recklessly killed a young man. But nothing that happens to him will bring Donovan back. He lives his life while Donovan’s family will suffer his loss for the rest of theirs. Is this truly justice?" Elliott said.