COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The new Franklin County prosecutor reassigned the case against Ricky Anderson, the former Columbus police officer who fatally shot Donovan Lewis in 2022, away from special prosecutors to an in-house assistant prosecuting attorney.
Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Shayla Favor removed special prosecutors H. Tim Merkle and Gary S. Shroyer—assigned by the former Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack—from the case Friday and reassigned it to David F. Zeyen, the chief counsel of the General Felony Unit for the county.
“My top priority is serving the people of Franklin County with transparency and integrity. After careful consideration we have decided to bring the Ricky Anderson case back in-house,” Favor said in a statement. “This move allows us to maintain full oversight, ensure justice is served, while responsibly stewarding taxpayer resources.”
Her statement went on to thank Merkle and Shroyer for their work and said assistant prosecuting attorney Zeyen “has a strong record in handling complex cases, and I have full confidence in his leadership and our team’s ability to deliver justice.”
Donovan Lewis was shot and killed by former Columbus Police Officer Ricky Anderson in 2022. Body camera footage shows Anderson shooting Donovan while he’s in bed. Lewis was unarmed. He was holding a vape pen, not a gun.
Anderson was later indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder and reckless homicide. Police were there to arrest Lewis on multiple warrants, including domestic violence and assault.
Anderson was scheduled for a hearing on May 5, but that was pushed back in February to July 9.
