Ohio Police Officer Put On Leave After Running Over Shooting Victim

KEY POINTS

Eric Cole was shot after a dispute
He called 911 for assistance
He was lying on the street while covered in blood
Responding officer Amanda Rosales ran him over

An Ohio police officer has been put on leave after dashcam footage showed her running over a shooting victim with her patrol cruiser.

Springfield police officer Amanda Rosales was driving the vehicle Sunday when she ran over 42-year-old Eric Cole, who died shortly afterward. In the dashcam footage, Cole could be seen lying on the street on his back while covered in blood.

"The victim was lying in the street when he was struck by a marked cruiser as the officer arrived on the scene in emergency response," Springfield Police Department said as per CNN.

Cole was shot following a dispute. Unfortunately, he was run over by the responding police vehicle before 11:30 p.m. He was reportedly bleeding from his arm and shoulder.

Cole was airlifted to a hospital but was pronounced dead early Monday morning, Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf said Wednesday.

Police said the officer's action was unintentional. According to them, it was an accident as the officers rushing to the scene were unaware of the victim's location.

Despite this, an internal inquiry and a crash investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol was launched following the incident.

"The lead officer was trying to catch addresses on the house. Eric was lying in the street," NBC News quoted Graf as saying. "This was an accident. It doesn't mean it's OK. It was an accident. This was not an intentional act on the part of the officer. I am sure of that."

Graf offered his condolences to Cole's family.

Police are still investigating the shooting incident. No arrests have been made.

Cole reportedly called 911 shortly before Rosales reached the scene. "He had, in fact, called and had said he had been shot. He was obviously very scared... saying he thought he was dying," Graf said during a conference.

Graf also clarified that the view from a dashcam is not always the same as what a driving officer sees. "That camera focuses where it's pointed. It's not an indicator of what the officer was seeing," he said.