Grand jury declines to indict Columbus officers involved in 2023 fatal shooting

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Franklin County grand jury on Friday voted not to indict eight Columbus police officers in the shooting death of a bank robbery suspect on Interstate 70.

On July 6, 2023, Columbus police officers responded to an armed bank robbery on Hilliard Rome Road. Police located a stolen Porsche SVU traveling at more than 125 mph. 

The suspects’ vehicle eventually crashed on I-70 near the Mound Street exit. Two suspects fled the scene on foot. Abdisamad Ismail, 19, exited the vehicle and began firing a handgun loaded with an extended clip, shooting one officer three times, according to Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Gary Tyack. 

All eight officers returned fire, hitting Ismail numerous times. Officers administered medical aid to Ismail until an ambulance arrived, Tyack stated. Ismail was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The stolen money from the bank robbery was recovered from the vehicle. The two suspects who fled the scene, Fazsal M. Darod and Abdullahi Jama, were later arrested and are awaiting trial in federal court. The wounded officer survived the shooting with lasting injuries.