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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Franklin County grand jury has declined to return an indictment against two officers involved in the Feb. 2024 death of a knife-wielding man in east Columbus.
According to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, those officers will not face charges in the death of 26-year-old Colin Jennings, of Columbus, who was armed with a large knife when approached by police.
After receiving reports of a man with a knife, officers responded to Creekside Apartments on North Nelson Road, near Alum Creek in the Eastgate neighborhood. The person who called 911 reported that he was fighting with the man, who was allegedly cutting himself before attempting to take the phone away from the caller.
Police arrived at 9:31 a.m. and immediately came in contact with the suspect. CPD said despite being given orders to drop the weapon, the suspect charged the officers with the knife over his head while yelling at them before he was shot.
The man was taken to Grant Medical Center in life-threatening condition and was pronounced dead at 10:05 a.m.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office later confirmed Jennings died after being shot multiple times. In a news conference, Assistant Chief of Police LaShanna Potts shared body camera footage from the encounter.
Cameras captured Jennings walking out of a building and onto a parking lot sidewalk with a knife. He continuously moved toward the two officers, and one officer pulled out a Taser while the other drew their firearm. As the man rounded a turn on the sidewalk, both officers fired their respective weapons at the same time.
The apartment building where the shooting took place is specifically for housing and care of those with mental health needs. City leaders said that information was not in the police computer system at the time of the incident.
The grand jury determined a crime had not been committed by the officers at the scene and therefore concluded unlawful criminal homicide did not occur.
