A man was injured after an officer-involved shooting in north Columbus on New Year's Eve during what began as a potential domestic violence response. According to a report by NBC4i, the Columbus Division of Police responded to a call on the 1200 block of Northridge Road at 10:44 p.m. Officers encountered a woman who claimed 40-year-old Richard Tatum had assaulted her.
Sgt. Joe Albert, from the Columbus Division of Police, relayed that officers found Tatum in the residence's basement and requested him to come upstairs. It was at this point that Tatum, armed and making verbal threats, appeared at the basement stairs. "Tatum came to the bottom of the stairs with a firearm and started verbally threatening the officers," Albert explained, as reported by 10TV. In reaction, officers discharged their weapons to address what they perceived as an immediate threat rapidly.
The events escalated when Tatum approached the officers with his firearm, prompting them to shoot. He was hit, though how many times remains unclear. Afterward, the wounded Tatum retreated to the basement, initially refusing to surrender before eventually coming upstairs. Once in custody, medical aid was administered, and he was transported to Grant Medical Center in a stable condition. Tatum was to be charged with felonious assault, domestic violence, and assault, with the possibility of additional charges pending further investigation.
