Over 60 family, friends, and community members gathered December 7th at a corner of Mount Vernon Avenue and Champion Avenue in a vigil to remember and grieve for Julius Tate, Jr., killed by Eric Richards of the Columbus Police Department.  The street corner is near the spot where 16-year-old Julius Tate, suspected of robbery, was killed in a sting operation exactly one year before.

Members of his family spoke; Julius' sister read a poem she wrote for him, and Julius' brother gave a musical offering.  His mother said that she wants justice for Julius, her firstborn son, that she wants the truth of what happened December 7th, 2018.  Both his mother and his grandmother demanded justice for Julius, but as well for all black kids, and for all kids.  A sister insisted that Julius did not own a gun, that the CPD claim is impossible that Julius pointed a gun at one of the plain clothes officers.

According to an interview by a 10TV reporter with Dave Harrington of the CPD Robbery Unit, the SWAT team of the sting operation when Tate was killed had arrived primed full of fear and prepared for violence: "'They're pulling up knowing, more likely than not, someone is going to stick a pistol in their face, or a firearm in their face, and rob them, and that's an extremely dangerous situation,' said Harrington," according to 10TV. https://www.10tv.com/article/family-looking-answers-after-columbus-swat-officer-shoots-kills-16-year-old-armed-robbery