Miles Jackson, a 27-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by police officers at a Columbus, Ohio, emergency room on April 12, last year. Jackson apparently had a gun tucked into his sweatpants when it went off, which does not mean he opened fire in the emergency room; it simply means the gun went off.
Jackson’s death was judged a homicide by a medical examiner, who said he was shot 20 times and had wounds to his head, chest, and abdomen. According to the Associated Press, “A standoff ensued after the gun went off, with police eventually opening fire as Jackson appeared to sit up and officers yelled, ‘He shot again!’ and ‘He’s got a gun!’, according to bodycam footage.”
Jackson was reportedly sent to the same hospital where he was killed, Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital in Westerville, for treatment earlier that day. However, Jackson walked away from the hospital and was eventually found unconscious in a nearby parking lot, causing Westerville police to respond.
From the Associated Press:
“After a pat-down, where an officer previously cautioned for rushing his duties missed Jackson’s gun, those officers followed medics back to the hospital, where Jackson was met by Columbus police because of city warrants for his arrest. That officer and the Columbus officers who shot Jackson were white.
Both Columbus and St. Ann’s officers fired their weapons.”
Jackson is seen being patted down by officers who appear to be looking for his gun in the body-cam video. Jackson can be heard repeatedly shouting that officers are “grabbing my balls” during the scuffle. “You’re on my arm,” he says, and “I’m going to comply,” he says to officers. During the scuffle, cops are seen tasing Jackson, who falls to the ground just before a gunshot is heard. Jackson can be heard claiming that his arm was twisted, preventing him from complying with the authorities’ orders right away. He is heard repeatedly informing officers that he is exposing his hands when they shout at him to do so, but he isn’t visible in the clip at that time.
It’s worth noting that Jackson looks to be relatively calm throughout the incident, despite the cops shouting wildly at the top of their lungs. Jackson is even heard telling them to “calm down” and that he’s “afraid you’re going to shoot me if I move.”
A gun is heard going off again, moments before police fire a barrage of shots after Jackson repeatedly stated that he was frightened of being shot while the policemen continued to shout their demands. On the age-restricted link below, you can watch the body-cam footage.
