Columbus, Ohio

In August 2018, Columbus Division of Police Officer Brandon Harmon arrested Standifer on an outstanding warrant for a traffic violation. At the time of the arrest, which included Harmon taking Standifer to the ground, Standifer had unhealed injuries from an unrelated car accident months earlier. Following his arrest and detention in the Franklin County Jail, Standifer went to the emergency room with pain from injuries sustained from Harmon’s use of excessive force. At the hospital, Standifer was diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

As shown in video footage recorded by a bystander, Columbus Police officers stunned Davis with a Taser eleven times and struck him dozens of times when they arrested him on warrants in 2017. Davis suffered kidney failure as a result of the beating. The eight officers involved in the arrest and subsequent lawsuit were with the Columbus Division of Police: Matthew Baker, Alan Bennett, Sean Connair, Eric Everhart, Anthony Johnson, LeVon Morefield, Robert Reffitt, and Ryan Steele.

The plaintiffs were among many who were protesting police violence in May 2020. During the protests, the police made arrests and used excessive force, such as pepper spray, tear gas, and wooden batons, against protesters, resulting in some of the plaintiffs sustaining significant injuries. The injured protesters filed a lawsuit in July 2020, and the city reached a settlement with the 32 plaintiffs in December 2021, agreeing to pay $5.75 million to be divided among them. Additionally, the city agreed to implement a permanent injunction barring Columbus police officers from using forms of nonlethal force against nonviolent protesters.

The shooting was captured by Coy, via his body camera. However, his body camera footage does not have sound since he was on a non-emergency call. Coy has a history of complaints. Hill was visiting a family friend when he was shot while Coy was responding to a neighbor’s non-emergency complaint about someone stopping and starting a car outside.

Andrew Mitchell, the police officer who shot Castlebury, is facing criminal charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter. He is the first Columbus police officer in two decades to face criminal prosecution for an on-duty killing.

Officer Shaw has worked for the Columbus Division of Police for 28 years. The settlement admits no wrongdoing but agrees to Officer Shaw’s demand that future instances of retaliation be treated as a terminable offense. Three other officers have made similar allegations against the Department which are currently pending.

According to an analysis of city records conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, lawsuits and claims of police misconduct and civil rights violations resulted in $1.9 million in payouts by the City of Columbus from 2010 to 2015.