Incident report: Man shot by police in Middletown brandished firearm, didn't shoot

Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has released redacted documents and dashcam footage from a police shooting in Middletown last week.

Middletown police said in an incident report that car passenger Victor Lykins, during a traffic stop in a Walmart parking lot Saturday, brandished a firearm before police shot him, though he didn't fire.

Dash camera video blurs out most of the interaction between officers and the subject.

Here's what we know from the documents and video, and what we are still seeking to find out.

What happened before the Middletown police shooting?

An incident report says officers pulled over the driver, Robert Lykins, in the Walmart parking lot at 2900 Towne Blvd. at 5:19 p.m. for a "traffic infraction." It does not say what the infraction was.

After running Lykins' information through their LEADS system, officers said they determined he had an invalid driver's license. They told him he was under a suspended license and took him him into the back of the cruiser.

Passenger Victor Lykins lied about his identity, the report continues, and after police discovered who he was, found he had an outstanding warrant on a tampering with evidence charge.

Officers then asked Victor Lykins to step out of the car. He then brandished a firearm while in the passenger seat, police wrote, which led to a struggle.

"During the course of the struggle over the firearm, (officers) did discharge their firearms, striking Lykins," the report states.

Ohio BCI was called to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

What does dashcam footage show?

Dashcam footage of the traffic stop is heavily redacted. Officers' entire bodies are blurred out in the video, and there is no audio.

A dashboard view shows officers approaching a silver Jeep from behind in the Walmart parking lot. The Jeep pulls into a parking spot and an officer approaches the car.

The officer appears to be talking through the passenger side window for about three minutes. He returns to the cruiser for a few minutes, then the second officer comes out and takes the driver, Robert Lykins, into custody.

The first officer approaches the passenger side window again. The second officer joins him.

The scene is mostly blurred, but the officers are seen standing around an open passenger door for a brief period before dragging an injured Victor Lykins out and beginning chest compressions. A reflection of an officer firing a gun is briefly visible in the car window, though it is unclear whether it is both or just one officer shooting.

Who were the officers?

Officials haven't said who the officers were.

Per Ohio BCI policy, the agency does not release the identities of officers involved and leaves it up to the department to make that information public.

Middletown Police Chief David Birk has not responded to multiple phone calls and emails to answer questions about the officers' identities and whether they are on administrative leave.

The Enquirer has requested the names of the officers and their personnel files.

Who was in the car and were they armed?

The incident report says the Jeep's passenger, Victor Lykins, had a gun, but didn't shoot it. He reportedly had a warrant on a tampering with evidence charge.

The driver, Robert Lykins, was taken into custody after police said they found he had an invalid driver's license.

No more information about the men and any relation between the two has been released.