EVENDALE, Ohio (WXIX) - The family of the man fatally shot by a Lockland police officer along Interstate 75 has more questions than answers and said in a statement to FOX19 NOW Friday they believe “he may have been an innocent bystander.”

“They just want answers. That’s literally it,” said their attorney, Mike Allen Jr. “They’re not looking for anything except for the truth. All they want to know is what happened that evening.”

The family’s biggest question remains unknown: Was Samuel Mumyarutete part of a police chase and crash that led up to the shooting? Or, was he walking along the highway in Evendale when officers swarmed the area to search for the suspects?

The family’s attorney says they have doubts he was in a stolen car that fled police in two counties before crashing.

“From what they have conveyed to me, nobody from any police agency has indicated whether or not they can confirm that he was part of that chase,” Allen said.

Mumyarutete’s relatives have requested privacy but did release the following statement to FOX19 NOW early Friday night:

“On Wednesday, March 19th, we lost our father, brother, uncle, and friend. Samuel was here as a refugee from Congo, trying to escape a civil war. He was not fluent in English and often relied on a cell phone translation app.

“Although we know the police were involved in a high-speed chase in the area, we have received no information that our father was involved in any aspect of that chase. We believe he may have been an innocent bystander.

“We are optimistic that there will be a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation. We are hopeful that we will be provided answers soon.”

Stew Mathews, the attorney who represents the officer, told FOX19 NOW he expects new details about the case to be out early next week.

“I anticipate that more information will be released by Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich on Monday,” he said late Friday.

“I don’t know that anyone has determined whether or not the decedent was involved with the stolen car/car chase but I believe the evidence will establish that the decedent was not an ‘innocent bystander’ no matter what the circumstances are during his brief interactions with the Lockland police officer.”

Reached for a response, Mathews said: “Perhaps I was mistaken” and declined further comment.

WATCH: Police-involved shooting closes I-75 for hours

‘BCI’s investigation remains active and ongoing’

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has advised the family they are investigating but has not shared any findings with them so far, according to their attorney.

“I think it makes it a lot harder when English is not their native language,” Allen said.

“They don’t understand the criminal justice system in this country and they’re just sort of just waiting for something, whether it’s just information or answers or anything like that, but, yeah, shock is an understatement I think..”

FOX19 NOW reached out to BCI on Friday and a spokesman responded: “BCI’s investigation remains active and ongoing – I do not have any additional details to share at this time.”

Allen said Mumyarutete has been in the U.S. for about 10 months and he is here legally. After he fled the Congo, he went to Uganda but that turned violent too, so he came to live at his brother’s house in Woodlawn.

Mumyarutete has six adult and minor children including one who is a young boy, Allen said.

“They are now orphans because their mom died several years ago in the Congo,” he said.

The family released photos of Mumyarutete with his children because they do not want the only photo out there of him to be his jail mug shot, Allen said.

FOX19 NOW contacted the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to confirm his immigration status since he was just there on a misdemeanor assault charge last week. We also asked for a copy of their policy for all inmates brought in, particularly on violent offenses, to notify ICE when there are illegal inmates at the jail and how long it was in place. We also asked if the responsibility/policy changed at the sheriff’s office/jail with the new federal administration and particularly related to violent arrests and a copy of that as well.

An agency spokeswoman said she was looking into it but we did not hear back Friday.

On Saturday afternoon, she emailed a response to FOX19 NOW that said:

Mumyarutete “was fingerprinted and sent through a federal database. In the event ICE has entered specific immigration data, they will be electronically notified that an individual is in custody at the Hamilton County Justice Center. Fingerprints of all individuals entering the Justice Center are electronically submitted to the California Office ERO-Pacific Enforcement Response Center. If a person is of interest to ICE, they will then determine what action, if any, should take place for that individual.

His “immigration status as documented or undocumented is determined by ICE. Mr. (Mumyarutete’s) arraignment was delayed until Monday, March 18, 2025, because of a language barrier. On Monday, March 18, 2025, Mr. (Mumyarutete) was arraigned in front of a judge on the misdemeanor assault charge. He was given an OR bond and was released from jail as directed by the bond.

“If ICE is taking custody of a prisoner, they are allowed into the secured sallyport of the jail or the secured area of the jail intake area. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office does have a policy and procedure that addresses immigration issues regarding incarceration that have been in place for the last 9 months.”

FOX19 NOW was not provided copies of the policies but will follow up on Monday.

Accused of attacking man at bus stop with white pole

Woodlawn police took Mumyarutete into custody one week ago, on Friday, March 14.

Officers were dispatched to an assault in progress at the intersection of Springfield Pike and Riddle Road just before 4 p.m., according to an incident report.

While en route, police were advised the suspect was armed with a white pole in his hand and was trying to hit the victim.

The two men were separated when police arrived, according to the report.

An officer took the pole away from Mumyarutete, detained and handcuffed him, and put him in the back of a cruiser.

The victim told police he was waiting at a Metro bus stop when Mumyarutete approached him and “grabbed him around his collar near his neck and attempted to hit him with a white metal pole,” the incident report states.

The victim was “visibly upset and shaking” and told police he did not know Mumyarutete.

Woodlawn police drove him to the county jail.

His arraignment the following day, Saturday, March 15, was postponed until Monday, March 17 because the court needed a Kinyarwanda interpreter, court records show.

Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Brad Greenberg ordered him to remain at the jail for the rest of the weekend on “No Bond.”

When his bond hearing was held Monday, the judge allowed Mumyarutete to be released on his own recognizance (OR bond) but ordered him to stay away from the victim.

A public defender was appointed to represent Mumyarutete and promptly filed court records saying he would claim self-defense.

Two-county police chase

Mumyarutete’s family was unaware he was released from the jail, their attorney said.

His brother went to the jail that morning “and kept trying to explain them to you can’t just let him out. His brother was trying to get information on where he was and to get him out of jail.,” Allen said.

Court records show Mumyarutete was released from the justice center later that day so his brother “just missed him,” Allen said.

Less than two days later, he was dead.

A license plate reader alerted West Chester police to a stolen vehicle shortly after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, a township spokeswoman has said.

Officers found the car and tried to pull the driver over, but the vehicle sped off.

Police began chasing it at Princeton Glendale Road (Ohio 747) and Provident Drive. The blue Hyundai was speeding about 100 mph as the chase went onto eastbound I-275 from Ohio 4 toward I-75, according to initial emergency communication reports.

West Chester police stopped chasing the vehicle after it exited I-275 to southbound Mosetller Road and went into Hamilton County.

Sharonville and Evendale police responded to assist in the chase at that point.

Sharonville officers briefly pursued the vehicle but cut it off well before the crash, according to Sgt. Walter Cordes.

Evendale police officers found the crashed vehicle near Glendale Milford Road and Evendale Drive, but the suspects were not on the scene, according to Police Chief Tim Holloway.

Lockland Police Chief Michael Ott said his officers also responded to help find the suspects.

He said one suspect was detained and arrested.

Another officer found a man walking on northbound I-75.

‘The subject has something in his hands’

The officer reported that the man coming toward him had something in his hands and was refusing to obey commands, Lockland’s police chief said.

“The subject has something in his hands, won’t show me his hands, he’s walking straight at me on 75 North,” the officer said, according to initial emergency communication reports,

“The officer attempted to use less lethal force to address the non-compliant suspect but the Taser didn’t stop the suspect,” the chief said. “The suspect continued to refuse to obey commands and then the Lockland officer had to resort to his firearm. The suspect was shot in the chest and fell to the ground.”

Sharonville police gave life-saving medical care to the suspect, Sgt. Cordes said.

EMS arrived and provided additional medical support, however, the suspect was pronounced dead.

None of the Lockland officers were wearing body cameras. The department is testing our four right now and those are assigned to police who were not working at the time, Ott explained.

He declined to say during a phone interview Wednesday morning if the man who was shot was found with a gun or other weapon.

“BCI is still investigating that. That is part of their investigation,” Ott said. “When they have information to release on a weapon, they will.”

The chief did not release the name of the officer involved in the shooting when we asked but did confirm he is a veteran officer who has worked for other area law enforcement agencies.

The chief also declined to identify the person detained or the charges he or she faced.

After his initial remarks about the shooting, the chief said he was referring all further questions to BCI.

The officer encountered Mumyarutete while driving back to Lockland on the highway after dropping a prisoner off at the Hamilton County Justice Center, his attorney tells FOX19 NOW.

The officer saw him walking along NB I-75, got on the the police radio and asked if they were still looking for the suspects who fled the stolen car crash. Told they were, he tried to stop the man.

Mathews said the officer is “extremely distraught over having taken a life” but did everything possible to avoid that.

“Like every police officer I know, he signed up to help people. He never imagined that he would become involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting even though all police officers recognize that very real possibility. I would characterize him as extremely distraught over having taken a life but he used every tool that he had to deescalate the situation and when none of those tactics were effective in the split seconds that this situation was evolving, he did what his training taught him and used the force necessary to stop the threat that he was facing.”

Lockland city officials speak out

Reached for comment Friday night, Lockland’s attorney directed FOX19 NOW to new information about the police-involved shooting on the village’s website.

Was there a language barrier that contributed to the incident?

“We acknowledge the deep impact this has on the family of Mr. Mumyarutete, our officers, and the broader community—especially our growing immigrant community,” the website states. “While we remain in contact with the Mumyarutete family, the BCI Investigation will review all of the events leading up to the shooting during their investigation.

It’s not clear how long the investigation will take but it will include a review of the officer’s use of force including the Taser and whether the officer tried to use other de-escalation techniques, according to the website.

The village also “will cooperate fully to ensure that all facts are made public.”

“BCI is an independent agency. Questions about their investigation will need to be addressed by them. We remain committed to fully cooperating with their investigation. While we don’t control the timeline, we will share updates as they become available.”

It remains unclear if the officer’s name will be released. He is on administrative leave, which is standard policy in police-involved shootings. ,

Law enforcement agencies in Ohio have been using “Marsy’s Law” (the Equal Rights for Crime Victims Amendment) to shield the identities of officers involved in fatal shootings and other use-of-force incidents claiming they are crime victims, which has led to concerns about transparency.

“We understand that many have questions and concerns,” the village’s website states. “Our priority is to engage openly and honestly with the community while allowing the investigative process to move forward. Ohio law limits what identifying information we can release, and we are not permitted to release that information at this time.”

Lockland recently passed a local ordinance authorizing its police to use body cameras and “has prioritized funding and training to ensure the full deployment of cameras across the department in the near future.”

Was the person killed operating the stolen vehicle?

The state investigation “will review all of the events leading up to the shooting during their investigation. Other law enforcement agencies are investigating the stolen vehicle and its occupants. Our focus is on full cooperation regarding the shooting.”

The police department ll be doing an internal investigation, the village confirmed.

“In every incident, we have the opportunity to learn, ensure policies and procedures are followed, and look for areas where we can improve to better serve our community.”

‘The officer reacted to the information he had at the time’

Lockland police are not unionized so FOX19 NOW could not speak to a union rep on the officer’s behalf.

We reached out to police veteran Paul Hartinger for his perspective from what is known so far.

Hartinger served as a police officer for 33 years in the city of Blue Ash and retired as the chief. He’s been an instructor in the Ohio Peace Officer Academy for years and now oversees Public Safety Training at Great Oaks Career Campuses.

“It’s very important to remember,” Hartinger cautioned Friday night, “that the officer reacted to the information he had at the time. None of us had that information. It doesn’t matter how many facts come out now. The officer reacted to the information he had at the time and it happened in a very, very small chunk of time.

“So even if the facts came out that the guy didn’t speak English, the officer didn’t know that. How is the officer supposed to know that in that short period of time? The officer was communicating with him but there was non -compliance. He has to react to the information he has at the time or the lack thereof. He doesn’t have the luxury of having all the information at the time like we would looking at it from the point of view days and weeks later.

“We have to be careful,” Hartinger stressed, “of sitting back and judging it from the comfort of our chairs. It’s lawful but it just looks awful. We are looking at it from a 30,000-foot view but he didn’t have that luxury.”

It is unfortunate, he said, that the Lockland officers were not wearing body cameras.

“From all appearances, it doesn’t look like there are any body cameras and, therefore, we can’t see it from another perspective. In today’s world, the expectation is the body camera is going to be there. ‘I want to see the body cam and then I’ll believe the officer.’ Unfortunately, that’s where we’re at.”

From a training perspective, however, Hartinger said he was encouraged to see that West Chester and Sharonville police both called off the chase and other departments including Evendale and Lockland were simply out looking for suspects after the fleeing vehicle crashed.

This shows the officers and their police departments are following their policies, procedures and training, he said, “in these high-risk situations. We may find out that the officer followed policies and training and that’s a good thing because it means it’s effective.”

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2025 WXIX. All rights reserved.