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Lorain police release bodycam of fatal shooting by US Marshals

Derek Smith mug shot
Lorain Police Department
Derek Smith, 34, was killed by members of a U.S. Marshals task force on April 18, 2024 in Lorain, Ohio. The task force was serving an arrest warrant issued after Smith violated the terms of his parole related to a 2021 drug conviction.

Police on Thursday released bodycam video of a fatal shooting by members of a U.S. Marshals task force in Lorain, Ohio.

On April 18, U.S. Marshals were serving a warrant shortly after 8 a.m. for Derek Smith, 34, at a residence in the 900 block of West 21st Street in Lorain when the shooting occurred, according to a Lorain police statement released last week.

Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann played the video to members of the media during a press conference narrating what it showed.

The video, which at times is hard to decipher, shows Smith stabbing at members of the task force with what police said was a knife before swinging at Marshals with a large object.

"He charged the officers with a knife in one hand and a blunt weapon that was determined later to be a large table leg," McCann said.

Smith died at the scene, according to the statement. Two officers were injured.

Officers tried to subdue Smith before shooting him, according to the media release. The video shows they deployed a Taser, but McCann said Smith did not respond after being tased. It is unclear from the video if he was hit.

A federal judge issued a warrant for Smith's arrest on April 15 after he violated the terms of his parole, court records show. Smith was on parole in connection with a 2021 drug conviction.

The shooting is being investigated by the Lorain Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau, according to the media release.

The video was released because the public deserves transparency, McCann said.

Josh Boose is associate producer for newscasts at Ideastream Public Media.