Search fatalities

Eric Eugene Cole Jr.

Age : 42

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 06/13/2021

Location : 1400 block South Center Boulevard

City : Springfield

County : Clark

State : Ohio

Agency : Springfield Police Department

Officer(s) :Amanda Rosales

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Killed after being run over by responding police cruiser

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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NARRATIVE:
On 06/13/2021, Eric Eugene Cole, 42, called 911 after he had been shot in the left arm and shoulder during an earlier altercation. At approximately 11:21 p.m., Springfield Police Division officers were dispatched to South Center Boulevard on the report of a man who had been shot. Cole was lying wounded in the roadway while officers responded.
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Officer Amanda Rosales responded in a marked 2019 Ford Explorer, Springfield police cruiser No. 70, with the vehicle's emergency lights activated. Rosales drove south on South Center Boulevard while looking toward houses for the reported address and did not see Cole lying in the roadway. Her cruiser drove over Cole. A second police cruiser's dash camera also recorded the collision.
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Rosales stopped and went to Cole. Dash-camera footage showed Cole lying in the roadway before Rosales reached him and captured the cruiser striking him. Rosales told Sgt. Brian Taylor at the scene that she felt her patrol vehicle bump something and believed she might have run over Cole's legs. Taylor reviewed in-car video at the scene and confirmed that the collision had been recorded.
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Springfield Fire and Rescue transported Cole to Springfield Regional Medical Center, and he was subsequently flown by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. Cole died at approximately 2:20 a.m. on 06/14/2021.
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The Montgomery County Coroner's Office determined that Cole died from blunt-force trauma to the torso and ruled his death an accident. The autopsy documented a fractured sternum, multiple rib fractures, abrasions and lacerations to his shoulders, back and chest, additional blunt-force injuries to his extremities, and the preexisting gunshot wound to his left arm. The gunshot wound was not determined to be his cause of death.
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The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigated the fatal vehicle-pedestrian collision. Its crash investigation documented Rosales as being in emergency response with her overhead lights activated and identified outside distraction as a factor, with Rosales looking for the address while approaching the scene.
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The Clark County Prosecutor's Office requested appointment of the Ohio Attorney General's Office as special prosecutor to avoid a conflict of interest. The case was presented to a Clark County grand jury on 06/07/2022. The grand jury declined to indict Rosales, issuing a no-bill. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost subsequently released the investigative case file.
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Cole's family disputed the characterization of the collision as an unavoidable accident and questioned how Rosales failed to see him. Family members pointed to the cruiser video, which showed Cole lying in the roadway as Rosales approached.
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CIVIL LITIGATION:
In December 2022, Cole's estate and family filed a federal civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuit against Rosales and others. The lawsuit alleged that Rosales acted recklessly by failing to see and avoid Cole as he lay wounded in the roadway and also challenged the handling of the incident after he was struck. The family additionally sought federal review of Cole's death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Amanda Rosales had been employed by the Springfield Police Division for approximately one year when she ran over Cole. She was placed on administrative leave following the fatal collision. A Clark County grand jury subsequently declined to indict her in Cole's death.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality

SOURCE LINKS :

https://dayton247now.com/news/local/man-dies-after-being-shot-run-over-by-responding-springfield-police-cruiser
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/final-autopsy-man-run-over-by-springfield-cruiser-died-from-blunt-force-trauma-to-torso-ruled-an-accident/FDYIWCWN7RHZPHALC6R3GPIPMA/
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/eric-coles-family-sues-springfield-police-for-his-death-seeks-federal-review-of-case/ZXWMQM2HORAQ5PIYF6HXXRQ2RA/
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/attorney-general-talking-today-about-deadly-springfield-case-of-man-shot-then-hit-by-police-cruiser/73I5L4A4UZDTLNTVMTGJLAF2D4/
https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/June-2022/Attorney-General-Dave-Yost-Releases-Investigative
https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/InvestigativeDocuments