EVENDALE, Ohio — The family of the man shot and killed by a Lockland police officer on I-75 says they believe he may have been an innocent bystander.
The Hamilton County Coroner's Office identified 48-year-old Samuel Mumyarutete as the man killed by police in the northbound lanes of I-75 early Wednesday morning.
West Chester police first reported a pursuit of a stolen vehicle in Butler County. The department said officers attempted to pull over a car once their license plate reader notified them that it was stolen. The car's driver would not stop, leading officers on a chase to the Hamilton County line.
At that point, West Chester police stopped their pursuit. Officers from multiple Hamilton County jurisdictions were called to assist in a search for the suspects who fled from police.
Evendale police said the vehicle involved in the pursuit was found crashed near the intersection of Glendale Milford Road and Evendale Drive. However, no suspects were on scene.
Lockland police said one suspect was located and taken into custody. Then, police said an officer identified someone believed to be a suspect walking along I-75. That man was Samuel Mumyarutete.
Police said in the press release the officer reported Mumyarutete had something in his hands and refused to obey commands. The officer used a Taser, which police said did not stop Mumyarutete. The officer then "had to resort to his firearm," police said.
Mumyarutete was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a statement, Mumyarutete's family said he is a refugee from Congo who "was not fluent in English, and often relied on a cell phone translation app."
"Although we know the police were involved in a high speed chase in the area, we have received no information that our father was involved in any aspect of that chase," Mumyarutete's family said. "We believe he may have been an innocent bystander."
Lockland police said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations was called to the scene and is investigating the shooting.
The family said they are "optimistic" that an investigation into the police shooting will provide more answers.
Editor's Note: Previous reporting erroneously referred to Mumyarutete as the driver of the vehicle that led the police pursuit. At no time have police referred to him as the driver.
Watch more about the incident below:
