COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus police have released footage of a shooting in which officers shot a teenager wanted for murder.
Sgt. Joe Albert said officer Brian Carter and SWAT team member Matthew Liford shot a 16-year-old murder suspect while attempting to stop the teen in his car Thursday on Cooper Colony Drive.
The teen is accused of killing 39-year-old Alejandro Lopez-Lechuga while attempting to break into the victim’s car. Lopez-Lechuga had confronted the teen around 12:15 a.m. at the Hyde Park Townhomes, near Jester Lane and Princess Place, before being shot.
Hours later, about 3 p.m., Columbus police pulled the teen over in a car on Cooper Colony Drive, just south of Westerville. Albert said the 16-year-old got out with a rifle and tried to run away, and that’s when Carter and Liford opened fire.
Footage from Carter's body-worn camera and a cruiser dashboard camera showed the suspect fleeing the vehicle while holding a rifle, which police believe was used in the earlier shooting. Three shots were fired before the suspect dropped the rifle and continued to run. Officers fired three more shots before the suspect turned the corner and fell between two apartment buildings.
Emergency crews took the teen to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, but he was still alive as of Thursday night. Columbus police said he had been charged with murder for Lopez-Lechuga’s death, with additional counts possible.
As part of standard procedure with police shootings, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling a review of both officers’ conduct.
Both Carter and Liford have been involved in shootings during their tenures with the force.
