Retired Columbus Officer Ricky Anderson Sentenced to Three Years Probation for Donovan Lewis Shooting Death

Franklin County Judge Julie Lynch placed retired Columbus police officer Ricky Anderson on three years of probation on Nov. 4, 2026, for the shooting death of 20-year-old Donovan Lewis.

Anderson shot Lewis, a Black man, in 2022 while helping serve an overnight arrest warrant in the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus. Anderson worked as a Columbus police dog handler at the time. Body camera footage captured him firing at Lewis in his bed just moments after a door opened and Lewis woke up. Anderson stated he believed Lewis possessed a gun. It later turned out that Lewis had a vape pen in his hand.

Anderson Enters Plea to Reckless Homicide

Anderson entered an Alford plea to reckless homicide in September. The plea acknowledged that sufficient evidence existed to support a conviction without requiring Anderson to admit direct guilt. Prosecutors dropped a murder charge.

Before the November sentencing in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, several relatives of Lewis addressed the court. Rebecca Duran, the mother of Donovan Lewis, told Judge Lynch that she wakes up every night between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., which corresponds roughly to the time of her son’s death.

I say a prayer to Donovan and try to go back to sleep.

Duran described the difficulty of answering questions from Lewis’s young son, who was born after the shooting and frequently asks why he cannot see his father. Family members urged the judge to impose a three-year prison sentence, the maximum allowed under the terms of the plea agreement.

When Judge Lynch announced a sentence of community control, commonly known as probation, Duran cried out and slumped onto a gallery bench with her head in her hands. Other family members and supporters swore as they exited the courtroom.

Judge Finds Killing Was a Mistake

Judge Lynch stated that Anderson killed Lewis by mistake, noting that the act lacked purpose, intent, or the classification of homicide. She told the courtroom that the family sought vengeance rather than justice, adding that they accepted the plea agreement and should have understood it carried no presumption of prison time.

Defense attorney Mark Collins told reporters that Anderson felt hesitant to enter a plea to lesser charges because the death was a mistake. Collins said Anderson accepted the terms to help the Lewis family progress through the grieving process.

Another defense attorney, Kaitlyn Stephens, noted that probation could impose several restrictions on Anderson, such as mental health assessments, restrictions on travel, or required counseling. Anderson is also prohibited from owning a firearm. Judge Lynch warned that violating probation terms would trigger a three-year prison sentence.

Upcoming Civil Proceedings

Robert Gresham, an attorney representing the Lewis family, expressed disappointment with the sentence. He stated that justice must apply equally to law enforcement officers and the citizens they police.

Gresham noted that Anderson’s Alford plea prevents him from contesting liability regarding recklessness in upcoming civil litigation. The family’s civil lawsuit against Anderson is scheduled to go to trial in February.