COLUMBUS — The family of Marchelle Freeman, a 60-year-old Columbus woman shot and killed by her partner in 2024, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against three Columbus police officers. The complaint alleges the officers twice responded to her home, heard explicit death threats, and left without taking her firearm — hours before she was killed.
Larisha Thomas, Freeman’s daughter, filed the civil complaint Feb. 26 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on behalf of her mother’s estate. Attorneys Sara Schiavone and Michael Keyes represent the family. No court date has been set. The Columbus Division of Police and the City of Columbus Law Department had not issued statements as of publication.
What Happened That Night
According to the lawsuit, Freeman called police at approximately 6:24 p.m. on March 21, 2024. She told officers that her partner, Stewart Butler, was unstable, had a firearm, and had threatened to kill her at their home on East Sycamore Street in the Driving Park neighborhood.
The complaint identifies Officer Fuller as the first officer to respond. All three officers named in the lawsuit had fewer than two years of law enforcement experience at the time, according to the filing.
The lawsuit alleges Fuller showed Butler paperwork from Franklin County Municipal Court related to dismissed 2023 misdemeanor charges. Those charges included a condition requiring the firearm to be forfeited. The complaint claims Fuller did not take the weapon and told Freeman that Butler had a legal right to keep it.
Freeman pushed back. According to the lawsuit, she told officers that Butler had threatened her life and asked them to remove the gun. The complaint states Freeman warned the officers, “whatever happens to me is on your watch,” and told them they were “creating a monster.”
Officers Return — Then Leave Again
Police came back to the home at approximately 9:16 p.m. after Butler called 911.
During that second visit, the complaint alleges Butler told officers, “If she keeps coming in my room, I’mma bust a cap.” Officers left again without taking the firearm or separating the two, according to the lawsuit.
Shortly before 11:30 p.m., a neighbor called 911 after Butler admitted he had shot Freeman. Officers returned to the home and found Freeman with a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Butler Convicted, Officers Now Face Civil Suit
Butler later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. A Franklin County judge sentenced him in September 2025 to 14 to 19½ years in prison. His criminal case is closed.
The civil lawsuit targets the three responding officers and focuses on what the family says was a failure to act before the shooting.
Brian Steel, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said in a written statement that Freeman’s death was “heartbreaking,” but argued that responsibility for the killing rests with Butler. Steel said officers are trained to make an arrest only when probable cause exists, and that domestic violence cases require coordination among police, courts, prosecutors, and community partners.
Court records do not yet list a public case number for the civil suit. The City of Columbus Law Department, which typically represents officers in civil litigation, has not commented. The complaint does not specify which patrol unit the officers were assigned to at the time. The Columbus Division of Police South Patrol Command serves the Driving Park neighborhood.
ColumbusFrontline.com has submitted public records requests for body-camera footage referenced in the complaint and for comment from the City of Columbus Law Department. This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
This report is based on a civil complaint filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, a written statement from the Fraternal Order of Police, court records from State v. Stewart Butler, and a Columbus Division of Police incident report from March 21–22, 2024.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the Central Ohio Domestic Violence Emergency 24/7 Hotline is available at 614-224-HOME (4663).