Columbus Officers Shoot Man After He Approaches With Knives Outside a Police Substation

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Columbus, Ohio — On the early morning of September 10, 2024, Columbus police officers fatally shot 34-year-old Lamine Mahmoudi on the 200 block of Chittenden Avenue in the University District after he approached them holding two knives. Mahmoudi had been involved in multiple encounters with the police that day, which included efforts from the Mobile Crisis Response Unit, designed to handle mental health crises. The first call came in the evening of September 9, when police were called to Mahmoudi’s home after reports that he was holding a knife and bleeding.

Although officers and mental health specialists tried to communicate with him, Mahmoudi refused to engage. The police returned later that night, but once again, Mahmoudi declined help, saying the police "needed to shoot him." The situation escalated on September 10, at around 1:30 a.m. when Mahmoudi was seen approaching officers outside a police substation while carrying a meat cleaver and a large kitchen knife. The officers repeatedly told him to drop the weapons, saying they did not want to hurt him, but Mahmoudi continued to walk towards them without responding. Despite attempts to de-escalate, the officers opened fire as Mahmoudi got closer, fatally wounding him. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now reviewing the incident.