Christopher Wade, 39

Columbus, Ohio
April 06, 2017

Agencies: Westerville Division of Police Ohio | Columbus Division of Police - Ohio

Cause of death: Shooting

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Last updated: almost 6 years ago

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Overview

According to Columbus Police spokesperson Sgt. Rich Weiner, officers followed the medic to the hospital. When the patient walked out of the back of the vehicle, police say he was carrying a garbage bag. Inside the garbage box, inside the box was a handgun. Weiner said when the man looked behind him and saw a police officer, he took out the gun. Weiner said he then ignored the orders of officers to drop the gun.

Weiner said the gun turned out to be a realistic-looking BB gun.

“This is something that law enforcement that we’ve been dealing with for a long time. This is not going away,” Weiner said. “We have these guns that are replicas of live looking handguns. We can not tell within a couple seconds. We don’t have the opportunity to say ‘hey is that a bb gun? Is that a toy?”

According to the hospital, no patients or employees were injured.

The Westerville Police Department is handling the investigation.

The hospital released the following statement:

This afternoon, a police-involved shooting occurred on the campus of Mount Carmel St. Ann’s. No patients or colleagues were involved or injured. At this time, we have no additional details about this incident to share except that the shooting occurred and is actively being investigated. We are doing everything we can to assist the police with their investigation and to provide support and care to patients, families, visitors, and colleagues. Our first priority is always their safety.

The hospital was on lockdown for several hours, a hospital spokesperson tells NBC4. The lockdown was lifted shortly before 4pm.

One of Wade’s neighbors called 911, trying to get him help.

“My neighbor he… I think he’s bi-polar I’m not sure,” said the 911 caller “There’s a nurse that comes and gives him medicine twice a day and I don’t know if he told her not to come or maybe he didn’t take it, but he’s having side-effects from not having it and he’s falling and he’s so confused.”