MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) released the police cruiser camera footage of the fatal police shooting of a man in Middletown.
A traffic stop turned deadly when 47-year-old Victor Lykins displayed a weapon, according to a Middletown police report released by BCI.
Cruiser camera video shows a Jeep SUV being stopped by two Middletown police officers around 5:15 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Walmart on Towne Boulevard.
Victor was the front seat passenger and his brother, Robert, was the driver.
The video does not have audio and is heavily blurred. BCI has not released the identity of the officers involved.
Watch the raw cruiser cam footage:
According to the Middletown police report, Robert did not have a valid driver’s license. He was escorted to the cruiser without any struggle or incident, while another officer continued to talk with Victor.
After learning that Victor initially provided false information and was wanted on a warrant for tampering with evidence, officers said they asked him to step out of the vehicle. Police said after that, Victor "brandished" a handgun. During a struggle over the firearm, both of the officers discharged their weapons, hitting Victor.
The two officers did not administer life-saving measures until close to four minutes after the shooting. The dash cam video shows an officer later giving Lykins CPR, then more police cars and an ambulance arrived.
The Middletown Division of Police does not have body cameras, so this cruiser camera is the only video available of the incident from police. It is unclear if this shooting was captured by Walmart security cameras.
Both officers are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Irwin said it may be months before BCI releases its findings.
Middletown Police Chief David Birk said he will release the names of the officers after they have been interviewed by BCI.
Gene Ferrara, a former Cincinnati police officer and former University of Cincinnati police chief, said when looking at the numbers, these situations are rare.
"If you or a member of your family is the subject of that, the numbers don’t really matter," Ferrara said. "If there’s only one person in the United States killed but it was your husband, your daughter, your brother—that’s all you need is one."
Ferrara also said there are several investigations that happen after this kind of incident.
"One investigation is going to be by the department as to whether or not the officer violated any training principles or procedures or practices," he said.
Another investigation is into whether the officer or officers broke the law.
Ferrara also pointed out that these investigations can take a long time.
Because the incident occurred in Warren County, the investigation results will go to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell for review. He was at the scene Saturday night.
This was the first fatal police-involved shooting in Middletown since 1997.
The Journal News contributed to this report.
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