A Wisconsin prosecutor cleared police officers from Columbus of any criminal liability Monday in a fatal shooting last summer near the Republican National Convention.
Officers from Columbus were among thousands of officers from multiple jurisdictions providing extra security for the July convention in Milwaukee.
According to a letter Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern sent Columbus Division of Police Chief Elane Bryant on Monday, a group of 14 Columbus officers had gathered in a park near the convention arena for a briefing on July 16 when they saw 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe approaching another man with a knife in each hand. The officers opened fire after Sharpe refused to drop his knives and lunged at the man.
The shooting was not connected to the convention, but people in the neighborhoods around the park questioned how out-of-state police could justify killing a Wisconsin resident.
Lovern wrote in the letter that Wisconsin law allows someone to use deadly force to protect someone else if that person believes it’s necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The five officers who fired on Sharpe told investigators they believed Sharpe meant to seriously injure or kill the other man, Lovern wrote.
Officers could be heard on body camera footage before the shooting identifying themselves as police and ordering Sharpe to drop his knives, but Sharpe ignored them and continued toward the man, Lovern said.
In a statement, Columbus police said it extended its sympathy to Sharpe's family.
"Per policy, now that the criminal investigation is complete, an internal administrative review of the incident has begun. That review is ongoing," the statement said.
"We remain committed to accountability, transparency, and upholding the trust of the communities we serve," it said.
Brian Steel, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said in a statement that the officers stopped an imminent attack and likely saved a life.
"The District Attorney's report confirms that five officers fired only after Sharpe was within striking distance of the victim and ignored all commands to stop," Steel said. "Wisconsin law supports the use of deadly force to protect others from imminent harm, and that is exactly what our officers did that day."
WOSU staff contributed to this report.