LORAIN, Ohio — News 5 received new body camera footage of an arrest attempt by U.S. Marshals in Lorain last week that ended with a shooting: the suspect dead, three officers hurt. The Violent Fugitive Task Force was serving an arrest warrant when they said the suspect started attacking officers.
After 34-year-old Derrick Smith failed to show up in court, officers with the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force showed up at his home on West 21st Street with an arrest warrant on April 18. Body camera footage released to News 5 from Lorain Police shows someone else answering the door as U.S. Marshals arrive around 8 a.m. Officers knew Smith was inside, but he wouldn’t come downstairs.
U.S. Marshals then moved in, explaining to Smith what could happen if he’s combative.
“Derrick, we don't want you to get hurt,” said an officer. “Your parole officer wants to talk to you. You need to understand if you get physical with us, we will have to charge you.”
In the footage, something audibly hits the ground.
“He has some kind of weapon, a bat?” said another officer.
A taser gets deployed next. Smith then launches at officers, causing a struggle. Smith gets pushed back into the room and swings a table leg at the officers. Officers then fired at Smith nearly 10 times. Smith became unresponsive.
“We’re going to need an ambulance up here,” said one officer.
Smith died there at the home. Three officers were injured in the altercation and were treated at the hospital for cuts and bruises.
Use of force expert Kalfani Ture watched this body camera footage and said the use of force in this instance was justified.
“One of the officers could have been murdered if he had struck the officers in the head in such a way and with such force,” said Ture, who is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Widener University. “He could have actually killed one of the officers or created less than death, a severe injury. So, in this case, lethal force was necessary, unfortunately, and appropriate.”
Court records showed Smith had a history of drug and assault charges and was currently on supervised release after spending time in federal prison for distributing cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. According to records, the warrant the task force was attempting to serve was issued by a federal court judge on April 15 after Smith failed to show up for a hearing where he was accused of violating the terms of his release.
“It is unfortunate for Derrick Smith, this 34-year-old Lorain man, to lose his life, but, he has a history and both in that moment demonstrated himself to be a threat to society, a deadly threat,” Ture added.
