Double Amputee Teen Who Assaulted Officer During 2020 Riots Shot To Death
Columbus Division of Police report that 19-year-old Dameire Novell Thornton was shot to death Wednesday just before 11 p.m. at the 300 block of Whitethorne Avenue. Police have no suspects in custody.
Video of the legless teenager went viral in June 2020 when witnesses said CPD officers assaulted the protestor and ripped off his prosthetic legs. Media outlets across the country, including TMZ, ran with the story without getting CPD’s version.
Video from officer body-worn cameras showed a different version of what happened on the June afternoon. It shows Thornton refusing to leave the intersection of High Street and Broad Street so traffic could get through. It shows Thornton heaving water bottles at officers. It shows Thornton tossing a wood sign and hitting an officer in the head.
When officers attempted to arrest Thornton, the video shows protestors running to Thornton’s aid and pulling him away from the police. Thornton immediately returned to the protest with his hair pulled back and shirtless.
CPD charged Thornton with assaulting a police officer. The case was turned over to the Franklin County Juvenile Court.
The Sussi Report obtained copies of two incident reports involving Dameire Novell Thornton through a Public Records request.
On December 4, 2018, a Mifflin Middle School employee told police that Thornton, then 15, stated, “I should shoot her” after the employee reprimanded Thornton for showing up late for class.
On September 1, 2020, the Columbus Division of Police arrested Thornton and a 15-year-old boy on charges of possessing an automatic handgun and LSD. The case was turned over to the Franklin County Juvenile Court.
If you have any information about the murder of Dameire Novell Thornton, contact the Columbus Division of Police.