Scott Colom, District Attorney, transferred the case to the state in 2016 to keep a distance from the outcome and local influence. Colom stated that he doesn’t know if the state is unaware of the severity of this case in Columbus in 2015 and 2016. Ricky Ball (26 years old) was killed in a traffic stop by police officers in October 2015. Canyon Boykin, a white Columbus Police Department officer, was fired after pleading not guilty to the manslaughter charges filed by the state in 2016. Fitch last week announced that the charges against Boykin had been dropped by her office as tens and thousands protested inequalities in the criminal justice system, as well the police killings in which black Americans were being killed. Fitch’s office stated in a two-sentence declaration that Boykin acted in self defense after examining the evidence. The statement stated that the Attorney General’s Office had conducted a thorough and independent examination of the case file, which included thousands of documents. It concluded that there was no evidence to support the prosecution of Officer Boykin. “In fact, all evidence including forensics as well as the sworn statements by four different MBI investigators points to necessary self defense.” Fitch’s office didn’t respond to questions about the findings and when the decision was made. Protests are ongoing nationwide to protest the deaths of Ahmaud Archery in Georgia, Breonna Tyler in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minnesota, which involved current or former law enforcement. CPD Chief Fred Shelton said that the dismissal of the case was “not something I expected to happen.” They thought they were releasing two paragraphs. We’re dumping it. That’s all that we have to do. Colom said that to him, it was a rude slap on the face. According to the Commercial Dispatch, around 250 protestors gathered at Leigh Mall in Columbus Saturday to protest the decision. Colom stated that he will request evidence to support the finding and expects to receive it within the next 10 working days. Colom stated that he spoke with Jim Hood, the former Democratic AG of Wisconsin, about making sure the case was free from local influence. Fitch, a Republican who replaced Hood in the last year’s state elections, became the first Republican elected to the seat since Reconstruction. Colom described the timing of the dismissal as a “gut punch”, emphasizing that there weren’t deadlines, the officer was on bond and there wasn’t much to hold a trial due to the COVID-19 epidemic. He stated that the public needs to be able to see the details of the case as there are many unanswered questions. “There are many people (wondering), how did it happen?” “How did you decide to dismiss this case after four-years and it’s only been for four, five month?” He explained that the next steps depend on whether the charges are dismissed with or without prejudice. Colom also pointed out the importance of having access to footage from any officer-involved shooting. Boykin and other officers who were present at the scene of Ball’s death wore body cameras, but they didn’t turn them on. Colom stated, “If you look into what happened in Minnesota, and if you look to what happened in Georgia without the video, then we only get one version.” Shelton stated that new policies and structures in the department have increased accountability for officers. Shelton stated that CPD implemented stricter penalties for officers who fail to turn on their cameras in public interactions after Ball’s passing. These included suspension and termination. A committee is now in place to handle complaints about excessive force. Shelton stated that he will meet with Colom’s bureau this week to plan an open forum to discuss excessive force and racial profiling and to then implement new training policies for officers. He said, “We’re still building and fostering the trust that we have in our community.”