Protesters Clash With Columbus Police At Downtown Headquarters

Columbus police pushed back protesters who tried to force their way into the downtown police headquarters Tuesday evening.

Video of the encounter was posted to Twitter by protesters and Ohio State University’s student newspaper The Lantern. The video shows police pushing back protestors from the building's main entrance. Someone in the crowd deployed pepper spray during the confrontation with police officers.

Police say one officer suffered minor injuries after being hit with a stick.

Protesters at times chanted the name of Miles Jackson, a Black man killed by police at Mount Carmel St. Ann's Hospital in Westerville on Monday.

Police describe “an exchange of gunfire” with Jackson in the emergency department. Police say he was taken to the hospital after being found “passed out in a vehicle” in Westerville.

The circumstances immediately before the shooting remain unclear, although the Columbus Dispatch obtained audio of Jackson’s encounter with police. It appears to include police telling him to drop a weapon just before a barrage of gunfire.

Columbus police responded to the Westerville hospital because Jackson’s arrest warrants were out of Columbus.

Mayor Andrew Ginther tweeted Tuesday evening "We share the frustrations over police killings of unarmed Black men, and we support nonviolent protests. That does not include breaking into public buildings or violence against officers."