Police in Ohio have fatally shot a man who, according to his family, was cleaning out the apartment of his deceased grandmother.
Joe Frasure was shot on Monday in the Wyoming town and died in the hospital on Tuesday.
Police have stated that they thought the 28-year-old was a suspect in a burglary and that he drove a van at them.
His family, however, has disputed the account given by the authorities and demanded that the bodycam video of the incident be made public.
Police have said that they arrived at a residence on Durrell Avenue just after midnight on Monday following reports of a possible burglary.
They discovered two men in the back of the house who claimed Frasure did not respond to the officers’ commands and attempted to flee in a minivan. It is unclear whether Frasure was in the van when officers arrived or got in afterwards.
“The minivan reversed at a high rate of speed, before hitting a tree, at which point the vehicle accelerated rapidly at our officers,” said Wyoming Police Chief Brooke Brady.
She added that police fired four shots at the van and that Frasure was hit. The van then hit the building.
Ms Brady said the officers then pulled Frasure from the car and performed life-saving care on him before he was taken to the hospital.
The county coroner has listed Frasure’s cause of death as a police-involved shooting, WLWT news reports.
The second man at the back of the house has been identified as Frasure’s father. According to WCPO 9 News, Wyoming police have said that he is no longer “sought by police,” but would not provide any other details.
Frasure’s family held a protest outside the Wyoming police department on Wednesday, demanding justice.
His brother has alleged that Frasure was shot in the back of the head, WCPO reports, in an apparent contradiction of what the police have said happened.
“I want to know why they killed my brother,” he said. “My brother was a father, a brother, a son, and a family member. A loving friend.”
