No mother should have to bury their child. Especially considering the horrific way Rebecca Duran, mother of Donovan Lewis, found out that her son had been killed. The 20-year-old was shot in his apartment by Columbus police during an arrest warrant attempt. Duran, who says she first heard of the shooting over the internet, spoke about the incident with ABC News's Linsey Davis.
From ABC News:
"The news was releasing information on the internet before I could get it," Duran said. "I was on the scene, and I needed to see what actually happened."
Many questions remain about the treatment of Lewis as police entered his apartment that night. Duran has not seen the complete bodycam footage, but it allegedly shows Lewis raising his right hand toward officers before the shot was fired. There was a vape pen later found next to him.
Columbus K-9 officer Ricky Anderson remains on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues. Duran says she wants to see Anderson fired and in jail. Even though she has only seen snippets, Duran is angry about the treatment of her son.
Again, from ABC News:
Duran says her son was mishandled in authority's hands, calling their actions "a delay of care" and claiming they treated him like "an animal." "There was no attempt to preserve his life, frisking him, handcuffed, flipping them around on the bed. I work in health care," Duran said.
Even though Lewis is gone, his mother wants people to remember the best parts of her son. Duran also mentioned the tremendous amount of support she's received from those who knew him.
"He loved life. He had a zest for life. He loved people. He had the biggest heart," Duran said. "The people that have reached out to me, teachers, coaches, a host of people throughout his life, his friends all talk about his awesome sense of humor, his awesome smile..You know, how much he cared about those around him. And even when he had nothing, he wanted others to succeed," she added.