Date of Offense
Statement
On July 16, 2025, Columbus Police Department Patrol Officer Jeremy L. Harris was traveling at a high rate of speed on College Street with emergency equipment activated to assist with a suspect. At the intersection of 22nd Street South, Officer Harris's police SUV collided with a Dodge Avenger operated by a civilian, Devion Bankhead. The collision resulted in severe injuries to Mr. Bankhead, who was hospitalized.
Investigator Scott Renfro was tasked with or participated in the initial accident investigation and witness documentation. During the course of this investigation, Investigator Renfro engaged in operational untruthfulness and material omissions designed to shift fault away from Officer Harris and onto the civilian victim, Devion Bankhead.
Specifically, the internal investigation sustained the following misconduct:
- Investigator Renfro claimed in official documentation and verbal reports that local business owners near the scene witnessed Mr. Bankhead "pull out too far" into the intersection, thereby failing to yield and causing the accident. A subsequent independent review confirmed these statements were either entirely fabricated or intentionally manipulated to fit a predetermined narrative.
- Investigator Renfro falsely asserted that the civilian vehicle was in motion and entering the intersection at the time of the impact, attributing "no contributing action" to Officer Harris.
- A subsequent forensic analysis of the officer's body-worn camera footage, vehicle telematics, and a scene reconstruction ordered by city administration conclusively proved that Mr. Bankhead’s vehicle was entirely stationary at the stop sign, attempting to allow the police vehicle to pass. The objective evidence proved that Officer Harris lost control of his high-speed vehicle before the intersection, causing the collision.
When confronted with the irreconcilable contradictions between his written reports and the objective body-camera footage, Investigator Renfro failed to provide a truthful or justifiable explanation for the discrepancies. It was determined that Investigator Renfro intentionally falsified elements of a serious accident investigation involving an officer-involved injury in his incident report.
Because a sustained finding of untruthfulness directly attacks an investigator's character for honesty, this narrative constitutes mandatory Brady material. Investigator Renfro's involvement in any chain of custody, evidence gathering, or criminal accusation is subject to severe impeachment.
https://cdispatch.com/opinions/our-view-two-stories-one-crash-why-independent-investigations-matter/
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