Demonstrators protest officer involved shooting

A group of about 100 people demonstrated outside the Franklin County courthouse Wednesday in protest of the officer involved shooting of 23-year-old Henry Green.

They held signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Who Gets Justice?”

Various speakers addressed the crowd, including Green’s parents.

Eventually a smaller group of protesters delivered a list of demands to Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, calling for an independent investigation into the shooting and the immediate resignation of both officers involved.

6/15/16: Questions abound in officer involved shooting

Conflicting reports in a racially-charged shooting involving two undercover Columbus police officers are causing tensions between some community members and law enforcement officials.

According to initial reports, two undercover Columbus police officers spotted 23-year-old Henry Green openly carrying a firearm in the South Linden area, which is legal in Ohio. Columbus Police said the undercover officers identified themselves and asked Green to drop the gun. When he refused and fired a shot at the officers, the officers shot and killed him, according to police.

However, Green’s friend who was walking with him disputes the official story, saying the officers did not identify themselves when they began yelling at Green.

The officers involved were part of Mayor Andrew Ginther’s Community Safety Initiative, which the Columbus branch of the NAACP says they have “serious concerns” with.

Since the shooting, Mayor Ginther has sent community relations staff to the Linden area in an effort to ease tensions.

But community members are calling for more than just conversations. A coalition of two dozen Columbus pastors and bishops are calling for an independent investigation of the shooting.

“We have the tools in the toolbox to make sure this is transparent, that all questions are answered,” said pastor Dale Snyder, leads the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Columbus. “This isn’t an indictment of police, or an indictment of Mr. Green, or an indictment on this community.”

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