An Ohio sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a 16-year-old boy at a court appearance Wednesday during an altercation involving the teen and family members, officials said.
Joseph Haynes, 16, was struck by a single shot in a courtroom at a Franklin County courthouse in Columbus where he was appearing for a hearing involving a menacing with a firearm charge and an electronic monitoring device, said Franklin County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Rick Minerd.
“At some point as the hearing was concluding there was an altercation that ensued involving the deputy and some of the family members,” Minerd said, according to NBC affiliate WCMH.
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The deputy was knocked to the ground and fired a shot which struck Haynes, and the teen was taken to a hospital where he died, Minerd said. The deputy was not identified.
Minerd told reporters that the deputy “came under attack from some of the folks that were involved.” He added that Haynes was allegedly involved in the altercation.
“On behalf of Sheriff [Dallas] Baldwin and our office, we want to extend out condolences to the Haynes family and wish the officer who was involved a speedy recovery,” Minerd said.
Minerd said the incident occurred at around 12:40 p.m. The deputy was injured and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to WCMH.
Haynes was shot in the abdomen and was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:14 p.m., Minerd said.
Minerd described the deputy as being stable and said the injuries are not life-threatening and were not gunshot related.
The court where Haynes was shot was described as domestic court. “That’s a very busy courtroom, [a] very emotional floor here in the courthouse,” Minerd said.
Minerd said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and the sheriff’s office is working in conjunction with the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.