COLUMBUS – On January 16, 2020 at 7:23pm, Officer James Tripp was attacked by a coyote while assisting with traffic control at South Hamilton Rd. and I-70. The coyote charged Officer Tripp, a 32-year-veteran of Columbus Police, and bit his right knee. Officer Tripp was able to mace the coyote and strike it a few times as other officers were responding.
The coyote charged at other officers and ran into a wooded area after being struck by an officer’s Taser.
The coyote continued to display aggressive behavior. An officer fatally shot the coyote to prevent it from attacking anyone else. Animal Control responded and recovered the deceased coyote for testing to determine if it had rabies or any other disease that would cause it to display this unusual behavior.
Officer Tripp sustained multiple bite wounds to his right knee and was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment.
