Video shows violent abduction of missing Memphis jogger: Criminal complaint

Memphis Police Department

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Surveillance video obtained by investigators shows missing Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher being violently abducted during her early morning jog by a man matching the description of a suspect charged in the kidnapping, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

A massive search for Fletcher is ongoing and her family has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.

The Memphis Police Department announced via Twitter early Sunday that 38-year-old Cleotha Abston has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the case of the missing kindergarten teacher.

Police said they detained Abston on Saturday evening after he was found inside an SUV that authorities were searching for in connection with the abduction.

An affidavit of the complaint made public Sunday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and obtained by ABC affiliate station WATN-TV, said Abston was taken into custody outside the home of a woman the SUV is registered to and where Abston was residing, according to the affidavit.

Abston allegedly tried to flee in the SUV, but a team of U.S. Marshals was able to quickly take him into custody, the affidavit states.

Earlier Saturday, police contacted Aston’s brother and another witness, who both claimed the suspect showed up at their home around 7:50 a.m. on Friday and they saw him cleaning the inside of the SUV, washing his clothes in a sink and “acting very strangely,” according to the affidavit.

Police, according to the affidavit, suspect the 34-year-old Fletcher suffered “serious injury” during the abduction. During questioning, Abston, who works at a dry cleaner, refused to tell investigators anything about Fletcher’s whereabouts, according to the affidavit.

Abston’s brother, identified as 36-year-old Mario Abston, who is currently not believed to be linked to the abduction, was also arrested on drug and firearm charges, according to police.

Police said Fletcher remains missing and they, along with their local and federal partners, continue to search for her. The investigation into her abduction is “active and ongoing,” police said.

Fletcher was last seen jogging in the area of Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street in midtown Memphis, near the University of Memphis campus in southwest Tennessee, on Friday morning at approximately 4:20 a.m. local time, before she was approached by a man and forced into a dark-colored GMC Terrain, according to police. The SUV took off, traveling westbound on Central Avenue, police said.

Fletcher’s husband, Richard Fletcher, reported her missing around 7 a.m. on Friday, telling investigators she never returned home from her regular 4 a.m. jog, according to the police affidavit.

A bicyclist told investigators that he was riding in the area of Central Avenue around 6:45 a.m. on Friday and found a cellphone that belonged to Eliza Fletcher lying in the street along with a pair of Champion slides sandals, according to the affidavit. The sandals were tested at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s lab and allegedly contained Cleotha Abston’s DNA, according to the affidavit.

Investigators also went to the location where the bicyclist found Fletcher’s cellphone and the sandals, and obtained surveillance video from a business they said captured the abduction, the affidavit states. The security video, according to the affidavit, showed the black GMC Terrain initially driving by Fletcher as she jogged and then stopping in a parking lot ahead of her and waiting for her to come by.

“A male exited the black GMC Terrain, ran aggressively toward the victim, and then forced the victim Eliza Fletcher into the passenger’s side of the vehicle. During this abduction, there appeared to be a struggle,” the affidavit states.

Citing the video, investigators said the SUV sat in a parking lot with the victim inside for about four minutes before it drove off, according to the affidavit.

The video also captured the same SUV in the area of the kidnapping about 24 minutes prior to the abduction, the affidavit alleges.

Fletcher was wearing a pink jogging top and purple running shorts at the time of her abduction. She has brown hair and green eyes, weighs 137 pounds and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, according to police.

After confirming Abston’s DNA on the sandals left at the kidnapping scene, investigators learned the SUV was registered to a woman Abston lived with. Investigators also learned that Abston worked at a dry cleaners and obtained his cellphone number from his boss, according to the affidavit.

Investigators determined through an analysis of the cellphone that it was in the vicinity of the abduction when it occurred, according to the affidavit.

While investigating Abston’s whereabouts before and after the kidnapping, police obtained security video from a local movie theater that showed Abston there on Thursday wearing a pair of Champion slide sandals, according to the affidavit.

St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis said in a statement on social media that Fletcher is a “beloved” junior kindergarten teacher at the all-girls prep school.

Fletcher’s family released a video statement through the Memphis Police Department on Saturday, pleading for her safe return.

“We want to start by thanking everyone for their prayers and outpouring of support,” Fletcher’s uncle, Mike Keeney, said in the video while surrounded by members of their family, including Fletcher’s parents, brother and husband.

“Liza has touched the hearts of many people and it shows,” he added.

The family urged anyone with information on the case to contact authorities. They are offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to Fletcher’s safe return.

“More than anything, we want to see Liza returned home safely,” Keeney said. “We believe someone knows what happened and can help.”

Anyone with information on Fletcher’s whereabouts can call the Memphis Police Department at either (901) 528-2274 or (901) 545-2677, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or to dial 911.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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Man charged in abduction of missing Memphis jogger, police say

Memphis Police Department

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A man has been arrested in connection with the abduction of a Memphis woman who never returned from her early morning jog, police said.

The Memphis Police Department announced via Twitter early Sunday that 38-year-old Cleotha Abston has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

Police said they detained Abston on Saturday evening after he was found inside an SUV that authorities were searching for in connection with the abduction. A public information officer told ABC News that they could not share where the vehicle of interest was located at this time.

A second individual, identified as 36-year-old Mario Abston, who is currently not believed to be linked to the abduction, was also arrested on drug and firearm charges, according to police.

Police said Eliza Fletcher, 34, remains missing and that they, along with their local and federal partners, continue to search for her. The investigation into her abduction is “active and ongoing,” police said.

Fletcher was last seen jogging in the area of Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street in midtown Memphis, near the University of Memphis campus in southwest Tennessee, on Friday morning at approximately 4:20 a.m. local time, before she was approached by an unknown person and forced into a dark-colored GMC Terrain, according to police. The SUV — which authorities named a vehicle of interest — took off, traveling westbound on Central Avenue, police said.

Fletcher was wearing a pink jogging top and purple running shorts at the time of her abduction. She has brown hair and green eyes, weighs 137 pounds and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, according to police.

St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis said in a statement on social media that Fletcher is a “beloved” junior kindergarten teacher at the all-girls prep school.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it is assisting the Memphis Police Department in the search for Fletcher.

Fletcher’s family released a video statement through the Memphis Police Department on Saturday, pleading for her safe return.

“We want to start by thanking everyone for their prayers and outpouring of support,” Fletcher’s uncle, Mike Keeney, said in the video while surrounded by members of their family, including Fletcher’s parents, brother and husband.

“Liza has touched the hearts of many people and it shows,” he added.

The family urged anyone with information on the case to contact authorities. They are offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to Fletcher’s safe return.

“More than anything, we want to see Liza returned home safely,” Keeney said. “We believe someone knows what happened and can help.”

Anyone with information on Fletcher’s whereabouts is asked to call the Memphis Police Department at either 901-528-2274 or 901-545-2677, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or to dial 911.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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Dueling Northern California wildfires, high temperatures challenge fire crews

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(WEED, Calif.) — As firefighters appeared to be getting a handle Sunday on a wildland fire that damaged or destroyed more than 100 structures in a Northern California town, another blaze burning in the same county was giving fire crews new challenges, officials said.

The Mill Fire burning near Weed, California, in Siskiyou County near the Oregon border, was 25% contained Sunday after burning 4,254 acres since igniting on Friday, according to Cal Fire officials.

Another fire burning in Siskiyou County, the Mountain Fire, is now presenting fire crews with more concerns after growing overnight from roughly 4,800 acres to 6,451 acres, according to Cal Fire. The Mountain Fire, which was only 5% contained Sunday, forced the evacuations of more than 300 people living in the remote rural area of Siskiyou County, officials said.

Winds on the ridges of the Mountain Fire were of particular concern for firefighters, who feared they could spread burning embers and ignite spot fires, according to Cal Fire’s update Sunday on the blaze.

Firefighters are battling the dueling fires amid triple-digit heat.

“Weather continues to be hot and dry with poor overnight relative humidity recoveries,” Cal Fire said Sunday.

The agency said firefighters will remain focused on defending structures and expanding containment lines around the two blazes.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County to support the response to the fires.

The mayor of Weed, meanwhile, reported new details on the Mill Fire, which ravaged her town of more than 2,600 people, injuring several people as they fled the flames and damaging or destroying at least 132 structures, including many homes.

Mayor Kim Greene told ABC news the Mill Fire started Friday in an old warehouse at the town’s lumber mill, the Roseburg Forest Products, which sits near a park and a cluster of homes she said were nearly all destroyed.

“My coworker’s husband ran in and said, ‘There’s a fire,'” Greene recalled. “By the time we go out the front door to see, (there) was just a big puff of black smoke. You could hear the small explosions.”

Fanned by 30 mph winds, Greene said the blaze quickly spread, jumped a set of train tracks and swept into a neighborhood.

Green said many people had only minutes to escape. An ABC News crew observed several walkers and wheelchairs abandoned along streets as people fled for their lives. Numerous vehicles sat charred in roadways and driveways of homes completely destroyed.

The Mill Fire, according to Cal Fire, caused more than 1,000 people to be evacuated.

While firefighters got a break from the high winds on Saturday, but high temperatures continue to be a challenge, Cal Fire officials said. Temperatures are expected to dip to the low 90s on Sunday, officials said.

Capt. Robert Foxworthy of Cal Fire said the high temperatures are forcing firefighters to take precautions to protect themselves physically.

“It makes it a little bit tougher physically on those firefighters that are working on the ground,” Foxworthy told ABC News. “You have them making sure they are hydrating and making sure they are getting good rest cycles, making sure those folks are getting good meals and nutrition so when they do go and work on these fires in those conditions, they are the best they can be to deal with those conditions.”

ABC News’ Alex Presha and Alyssa Pone contributed to this report.

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Teenager killed, 3 people wounded in 7-Eleven shooting in Maryland: Police

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(CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md.) — A 15-year-old boy was killed and three other people were injured when at least two gunmen opened fire on them Saturday evening inside a 7-Eleven store in Capitol Heights, Maryland, officials said Sunday.

The teenager who was fatally shot was identified as De’Andre Johnson of Washington, D.C., according to the Prince George’s County Police Department.

A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the killers, police officials said.

The shooting unfolded about 8 p.m. Saturday inside a 7-Eleven convenience store on Ritchie Road in Capitol Heights, police said.

he preliminary investigation revealed two suspects walked into the convenience store and opened fire before fleeing the scene,” police said in a statement released Sunday. “At this point in the investigation, this does not appear to be a robbery attempt or a random incident. Investigators are looking into whether any of the individuals in the store were targeted by the shooters.”

A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment of the killers, police said.

A second teenager, also 15 years old, was among those shot, according to police. The boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition, officials said.

The two other people shot were adults, including a store employee, police said. One of the adult victims was treated at a hospital and released while the other remained in a hospital Sunday in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The Prince George’s County Police shared on Twitter Saturday evening that police responded to the shooting at 8 p.m. and made the discovery of the fatal shooting.

“Once on scene they discovered multiple people at a convenience store with trauma to the body. They were all taken to a local hospital,” the statement read.

Police initially reported that an adult was killed in the shooting, but clarified Sunday that it was the teenager who died.

Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to call detectives at (301) 516-2512. Callers wanting to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477)

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Man detained in search for abducted jogger, vehicle of interest found: Police

Memphis Police Department

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A vehicle of interest has been located amid the search for a woman who was abducted while out for a run in Memphis, police said.

Eliza Fletcher, 34, was last seen at approximately 4:30 a.m. Friday on Central Avenue in midtown Memphis before being forced into a dark-colored GMC Terrain, the Memphis Police Department said.

Memphis police said in an update Saturday that the car has been found and a man in it has been detained.

“Eliza Fletcher has not been located. This is an ongoing investigation,” police said.

Memphis police said they were dispatched at around 7:45 a.m. to assist the University of Memphis police “regarding a missing person” in the area of Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street.

The woman was jogging in the area when an unknown person approached her and she was “reportedly forced into an SUV and taken from the scene,” Memphis police said in a statement.

The suspect was believed to be in a dark-colored GMC Terrain traveling westbound on Central Avenue, police said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is assisting in the search for Fletcher, said there currently is no known direction of travel for the suspect’s vehicle.

Fletcher was wearing a pink jogging top and purple running shorts at the time.

Authorities have released images of Fletcher and the SUV they believe she was forced into.

St. Mary’s Episcopal School said in a statement on social media that Fletcher is a “beloved” junior kindergarten teacher at the all-girls prep school.

Fletcher was described by police as 5 foot 6 inches and 137 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Memphis Police Department at 901-528-2274 or 901-545-2677, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or 911.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.

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What we know about the pilot in the Tupelo airplane incident

Tupelo Police Department

(TUPELO, Miss.) — An incident allegedly involving a stolen plane and threats against a local Walmart ended in what one official described as the “best-case scenario,” with no injuries and an inexperienced pilot safely landing the plane.

The saga unfolded over several hours in northeast Mississippi Saturday morning. Tupelo police warned residents around 6:30 a.m. local time that a pilot was flying over the city and “is threatening to intentionally crash” into a Walmart.

The pilot was identified by Tupelo police as 29-year-old Cory Wayne Patterson, an employee of Tupelo Aviation, which provides services like fueling at the Tupelo Regional Airport. He has worked for the company for the past 10 years and works as a lineman, fueling the aircraft, according to Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka.

Shortly after 5 a.m., Patterson is alleged to have stolen from the airport a Beechcraft King Air C-90 twin-engine aircraft, which he had access to as an employee of Tupelo Aviation, then called 911 at approximately 5:23 a.m. and made his threat against the local Walmart. Police evacuated the store and surrounding area, police said.

As the plane circled over Tupelo, police were able to talk to the pilot directly, according to Quaka. Negotiators were “able to convince him to not carry out this deed and to land the aircraft at Tupelo Airport,” Quaka told reporters during a press briefing Saturday.

The stolen aircraft is a sophisticated and complicated one to fly, according to experts. Patterson has “some flight instruction,” but did not have experience landing an aircraft and is not believed to be a licensed pilot, Quaka said. According to FAA records, Patterson only held a student pilot certificate, which was issued in 2013.

“A private pilot assisted us in helping this pilot complete this” landing, Quaka said.

Though upon final approach, for some unknown reason, the pilot aborted that landing and flew north, away from Tupelo, Quaka said.

At approximately 9:30 a.m., when the plane was close to running out of fuel, Patterson posted a message on Facebook that “in essence, it said goodbye,” according to the chief.

Around 10:08 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration lost radar contact with the aircraft. When a negotiator reestablished contact at 10:12 a.m., the pilot “confirmed he had landed in a field and was uninjured,” Quaka said.

The plane landed in a soybean field in Ripley, Mississippi, located more than 40 miles north of Tupelo. The pilot was the only person on board, the FAA said.

Patterson was taken into custody and has been charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats, Lee County Sheriff’s Department online records show. A motive is not known at this time, Quaka said.

It is unclear if Patterson has an attorney. ABC News has left messages with the Tupelo Regional Airport and Tupelo Aviation.

Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan said he has spoken with Patterson’s family.

“I believe that after the initial threat, he did not want to hurt himself, or anyone else, and I believe that we had what you would think would be the best-case scenario,” Jordan said during the briefing.

“No one was injured. The suspect is now in custody. He will get the help he needs, as far as whatever he’s dealing with,” he continued. “I can’t thank all these organizations enough to bring him in safely.”

ABC News’ Matt Foster contributed to this report.

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Plane down, pilot in custody after threatening to crash into Mississippi Walmart store: Police

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(TUPELO, Miss.) — A small plane is down and its pilot is in police custody after threatening to intentionally crash into a Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi, the Benton County Sheriff’s office confirmed to ABC News Saturday.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to ABC News that the plane landed in a field in Ripley, Mississippi. The agency said the pilot was the only person on board.

The Tupelo Police Department identified the pilot as Cory Wayne Patterson, an employee at Tupelo Aviation. Patterson allegedly stole a Beechcraft King Air C-90 twin engine aircraft from the Tupelo Regional Airport just after 5 a.m. Patterson had access to the plane as an employee of Tupelo Aviation, which operates out of the airport.

Once the plane landed, Patterson was taken into custody. Patterson is being charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats, and federal charges are likely as well, Tupelo Police Department Chief John Quaka said at a press conference Saturday.

Police were notified that an airplane was flying over Tupelo at around 5 a.m. local time. The plane’s pilot made contact with E911 and was threatening to crash intentionally, according to a statement from police.

Negotiators were “able to convince him to not carry out this deed and to land the aircraft at Tupelo Airport,” Quaka said.

Patterson eventually aborted that landing and flew north, away from Tupelo. At 9:30 a.m., when the plane was close to running out of fuel, Patterson posted a message on Facebook that was “in essence, a goodbye,” according to the chief.

Police worked with Walmart and a nearby Dodge’s market to evacuate those stores and disperse people as much as possible.

“Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all clear is given. With the mobility of an airplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo,” police said in a statement.

Flightradar24 showed the pilot had been flying in random circles far to the northwest of Tupelo, while flying very low and changing altitudes between 500 and 1500 mean sea level.

Mississippi state law enforcement were “closely monitoring” the situation, Gov. Tate Reeves confirmed on Twitter. The FAA said it is coordinating with local law enforcement and will investigate.

The pilot’s condition is currently unknown.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

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How the water crisis is impacting Jackson residents

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(JACKSON, Miss.) — Jackson, Mississippi, resident Velma Warner says the city’s most recent flooding brings up memories of two years past, when Pearl River floods forced many in the Canton Club neighborhood of Northeast Jackson to leave their homes.

Though Warner and her family had time to prepare their home for potential water breach, the effect flooding would have on the city’s water supply posed another–not entirely unpredictable–issue, she says. One month after the city issued a boil water notice, damage to the nearby O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant has left Jackson’s water supply contaminated and largely depleted.

“This is an ongoing issue, like years of knowing that the water plant needed a lot of work,” Warner said to ABC News. “I think our concern as citizens is even after all of this, after they put all the money into the water plant, will we have qualified staff to continue to run the plant?”

As city and state officials facilitate plant repairs and establish state-run water distribution sites throughout the city, making “significant gains”, local organizations such as Operation Good continue to work tirelessly in their efforts to get drinking water to as many as possible. Operation Good’s program manager Gino Womack says demand has even increased throughout the week, adding that the nonprofit went through hundreds of cases of water within an hour. Womack says contributions across the country have made an incredible impact on their ability to keep up and encouraged engagement in their #CureViolence program.

“It’s good to see the people, everybody, coming together, working together to get through this time that’s going on. And there’s people from outside the city…that have been very very supportive of things going on here,” Womack said to ABC News. “A lot of their support has enabled us to continue providing water to the citizens.”

Community members like Deon Thompson, a neighbor of Warner’s and an advocate for his community for the 20 years he’s lived there, has also taken it upon himself to get safe drinking water to as many people as he can. He says that for the first couple of days, water was nearly impossible to find in Jackson, but state distribution sites run by the National Guard have made it more accessible.

“There was some people that actually didn’t know about the distribution sites that [the state] had set up,” Thompson said to ABC News. “So we were able to go to those sites and get water for our communities, and then we stretch beyond our community to the others, like the elderly and those that actually couldn’t get out because we do have some disabled people in the neighborhood as well.”

Thompson, who was also affected by flooding in 2020, has lived throughout Jackson for over 50 years–his entire life. While this week’s flooding was not as severe as it has been, coupled with a failing water treatment plant and racial disparities indicate severe ongoing issues that may lead others in the neighborhood, including his elderly mother, to leave for good.

And with chances of rain on the radar this weekend, he says some residents are waiting for “a definite” before moving their belongings, paying storage fees rather than taking the risk of having to go through it all again.

“The flooding is one thing that has been going on and this water problem, with us drinking it, didn’t just start like back in July as some people say. This has been going on for the past three or four decades,” he said, adding that it reminds him of the Flint water crisis in which lead contamination in the city’s water supply hit communities of color hard.

“Race plays a very important part in this,” he said as Jackson has an 82.5% Black population according to the U.S. Census.

Thompson also voiced his concerns about how housing developments around Ross Barnett Reservoir, Jackson’s historic and current major source of potable water, have contributed to the flooding, a concern echoed by Warner. With this in mind, Thompson says he is focused on ensuring that the underlying causes of Jackson’s water emergency don’t “fall through the cracks.”

“We’re gonna assist and do whatever we can,” he said of seeing that officials make the necessary efforts to resolve the crisis.

“The progress that is being made there now as we even speak, it’s little progress, but little progress is better than no progress. And we have to kind of look at it from that standpoint and be very sure that our government officials are gonna do what they said they’re gonna do,” he added. “We’re gonna have to get through this here one day at a time. We’re gonna help one another, and we need to encourage one another because we don’t want people to leave.”

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Body camera footage of fatal police shooting of Donovan Lewis released by authorities

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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Body camera footage released by the Columbus Police Department shows events preceding the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Donovan Lewis.

“Donovan was a typical 20-year-old kid with a ton of friends,” Rex Elliott, the Lewis family attorney, said at a press conference Thursday. “Certainly, he had his challenges in life, but he was a very good person and loved very much.”

Lewis family members held each other close, some covering their ears and looking away as the body camera footage played on a screen at the press conference.

“There can be no question that excessive deadly force was recklessly used by Officer Anderson when he shot and killed an unarmed black man,” Elliott said.

Columbus police say they traveled to Lewis’ apartment located in the Columbus, Ohio, Hilltop neighborhood around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning to arrest him on three separate charges — domestic violence, assault and improper handling of a firearm.

When police arrived, they identified themselves and stood outside the apartment for approximately eight minutes asking those inside to exit, the footage shows.

Two people eventually exit the apartment and police enter with a K-9, finding Lewis in bed, the video shows.

Officer Ricky Anderson, a 30-year veteran with the Columbus Police Department and K-9 unit, appears to open fire almost immediately after police open the bedroom door to where Lewis was sleeping.

In the footage, Lewis is seen raising his hands as he lies in bed. Anderson is then seen firing the single gunshot.

“Officer Anderson opened the door and almost immediately fired a shot into the bedroom as Donovan was trying to get out of bed,” Elliot said. “Donovan was unarmed and he was abiding by police commands to come out of his room when he was shot in cold blood by Officer Anderson.”

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said Lewis appeared to be holding something in his hand, but only a vape pen was found on his bed and that there was no sighting of a weapon, at a press conference city officials held Tuesday following the shooting.

Lewis’ family plans to file a lawsuit against Anderson and the city of Columbus, according to Elliott.

“They want this officer punished, not permitted to be out on the street again,” Elliott said.

Anderson has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the Columbus Police Department.

Mark Collins, the attorney representing Anderson, issued a statement Thursday obtained by ABC News, calling for a “thorough investigation.”

“When we analyze police-involved shootings, we must look to the totality of the circumstances, and we are expressly forbidden from using 20/20 hindsight, because unlike all of us, officers are not afforded the luxury of armchair reflection when they are faced with rapidly evolving, volatile encounters in dangerous situations,” Collins said.

A study released in February 2021, showed Franklin County, Ohio — which encompasses Columbus — has one of the highest rates of police shootings in Ohio and in the nation.

The study, conducted by the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health, ranked Franklin County 18th among the 100 most populous counties nationally on average for annual police-related fatalities.

In Columbus, there have been 62 shootings involving Columbus police officers since 2018, including Lewis’ shooting. Of those 62 shootings, 19 have resulted in a death, according to data from Columbus police and the Columbus Dispatch.

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Woman forced into car and abducted while jogging: Police

Memphis Police Department

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Police said they are searching for a woman who was abducted while out for a run early Friday morning in Memphis.

Eliza Fletcher, 34, was last seen at approximately 4:30 a.m. Friday on Central Avenue in midtown Memphis before being forced into a dark-colored GMC Terrain, the Memphis Police Department said.

Memphis police said they were dispatched at around 7:45 a.m. to assist the University of Memphis police “regarding a missing person” in the area of Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street.

The woman was jogging in the area when an unknown person approached her and she was “reportedly forced into an SUV and taken from the scene,” Memphis police said in a statement.

The suspect was believed to be in a dark-colored GMC Terrain traveling westbound on Central Avenue, police said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is assisting in the search for Fletcher, said there currently is no known direction of travel for the suspect’s vehicle.

Fletcher was wearing a pink jogging top and purple running shorts at the time.

Authorities have released images of Fletcher and the SUV they believe she was forced into.

St. Mary’s Episcopal School said in a statement on social media that Fletcher is a “beloved” junior kindergarten teacher at the all-girls prep school.

Fletcher was described by police as 5 foot 6 inches and 137 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Memphis Police Department at 901-528-2274 or 901-545-2677, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or 911.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.

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