3 Columbus Police Officers Facing Criminal Charges Stemming From Summer 2020 Protests

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On Wednesday June 9th, special prosecutor Kathleen Garber and independent investigator Richard Woznniak announced that three police officers from the Columbus Division of Police are currently facing criminal charges in consequence of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests. There is reason to believe that during the protests there were instances of officer misconduct, so the city hired retired FBI agent Wozniak and prosecutor Kathleen to investigate the issue.

“I was asked by the City of Columbus to independently evaluate the allegations of police misconduct from last summer’s protests so that both citizens and police officers are held to the same standard of accountability,” said Kathleen Garber.

The three officers accused of the alleged misconduct are Traci M. Shaw, Holly Kanode, and Phillip Walls. Officer Shaw is charged with three counts of Assault, three counts of Dereliction of Duty, and three counts of Interfering with Civil Rights. Sergeant Kanode is charged with one count of Falsification and one count of Dereliction of Duty. Both Shaw and Kanode were reported based on an incident that occured on May 30,2020. As for Officer Walls, he is charged with two counts of Assault, two counts of Dereliction of Duty and two counts of Interfering with Civil Rights. Walls’ charges are based on an event that occurred on May 29, 2020. Effective immediately, all three officers were relieved of their ongoing assignments and any authority to take police action. They are put on administrative duty until the investigation is finished.

Mayor Ginther released a statement to the public addressing last summer’s protests and how certain Columbus police officers acted out life line and responded to peaceful protests with violence. The promise is that the officers who have broken the law will be held accountable by the end of the investigation.

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