A police call about teenagers allegedly drinking alcohol in an Ohio park ended with a 17-year-old dead after he ran from officers and, according to investigators, fired a stolen handgun during the pursuit, prompting an officer to return fire.
The bodycam footage reviewed by the YouTube channel Midwest Crime shows how quickly the encounter changed from a relatively routine juvenile alcohol investigation into a deadly confrontation. The channel’s host also noted that the family of the teenager, identified as Kalvin Darapheth, initially questioned the Findlay Police Department’s account before body-camera footage and the findings of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation were released.
Officers Arrived Over A Report Of Juveniles Drinking
The incident began at Bernard Park in Findlay, Ohio, where officers had been called about juveniles consuming alcohol.
Bodycam footage shows an officer approaching a group of young people and asking whether they had been drinking, while also noticing alcoholic beverages near the table and asking one teenager about a vape that had been placed in a pocket.
One boy said he was 13 and claimed he had only recently arrived, while another teenager said he was 17. The officer made clear that, regardless of who had been drinking, everyone present would at least need to be identified because the alcohol was in plain view and accessible to the group.
The exchange became tense at moments, particularly after one teenager repeatedly addressed the officer as “bro.”
“Don’t call me bro,” the officer told him, instructing him to speak respectfully while the investigation continued.
Although the officer’s tone was firm, the footage at this stage still shows what appeared to be a manageable police encounter involving identification, phone calls to parents and possible juvenile alcohol charges rather than anything approaching deadly force.
A Parent Was Told The Teen Would Need To Be Picked Up
The bodycam footage then shows an officer contacting the mother of one of the teenagers and explaining that her son would be taken to the Findlay Police Department and later released to a parent.
The officer said the juvenile was being arrested for consuming alcohol and would also likely receive a citation related to nicotine possession.
During the conversation, one teenager asked whether he could be taken to a hospital instead because he needed mental health assistance.
The officer did not dismiss the request, telling him they could discuss that concern but that the immediate police process had to be handled first.
“Clearly there’s a lot going on here,” the officer said, while explaining that the juvenile alcohol matter still needed to be addressed.
That portion of the footage is significant because there was little indication that the encounter was about to become deadly. Officers were discussing paperwork, parental pickup and possible mental health care when the situation suddenly shifted.
The Encounter Turns Into A Foot Chase
The change happened quickly when Darapheth ran from the officers.
Bodycam audio captures officers shouting and moving after him before the encounter escalated into gunfire. An officer can then be heard repeatedly ordering him to throw the gun away.
“Throw the gun out, man,” the officer shouted. “Throw the gun.”
Moments later, officers called for emergency medical assistance and reported that Darapheth had suffered at least one gunshot wound and was bleeding heavily.
As officers tried to locate the firearm and assess his injuries, one remarked that Darapheth had simply taken off when police were preparing to arrest him.
Midwest Crime reported that the 17-year-old was taken first to Blanchard Valley Hospital and later airlifted to ProMedica Toledo Hospital, where he was pronounced dead the following day.
An autopsy later determined that he died from multiple gunshot wounds, including a wound to the head.
The transition from routine questioning to gunfire happened in a matter of moments, which is one reason body-camera footage became so important afterward. Without seeing the sequence, the ending can sound disconnected from the minor call that originally brought officers to the park.
Family Members Questioned The Police Account
In the days following the shooting, Darapheth’s family publicly expressed doubts about what police said had happened.
One family member, shown in material included by Midwest Crime, questioned why officers had needed to use deadly force against the teenager.
“You don’t need to kill him,” the family member said. “This is not a war.”
Given that the original police response concerned underage drinking, the family’s disbelief is understandable on an emotional level. A teenager being investigated for alcohol possession and later dying from police gunfire is an enormous leap in circumstances, and without the full evidence, relatives were left trying to understand how the encounter had reached that point.
The later investigative findings, however, provided important context that was not available from the beginning.
Investigators Said Darapheth Fired A Stolen Handgun
According to Midwest Crime’s summary of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation findings, Darapheth was armed with a stolen Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol.
The handgun had reportedly been stolen a little more than a month before the shooting.
Investigators also recovered five 9mm shell casings from the scene and, according to the channel, ballistics testing determined that all five had been fired from Darapheth’s handgun.
The investigation concluded that he had fired toward officers during the pursuit before an officer returned fire.
That evidence substantially changed the picture of the encounter. The original reason for police contact remained relatively minor, but the legal and tactical circumstances changed once the teenager allegedly ran while armed and fired a gun during the chase.
It is an important distinction in any use-of-force case: the seriousness of the initial offense does not necessarily determine the level of force used later if the circumstances change dramatically.
Prosecutor Declined To File Charges
Midwest Crime reported that Hancock County Prosecutor Sean Abbott reviewed the shooting and, in early 2025, concluded that the officer’s use of deadly force was “objectively reasonable” under the circumstances.
The case was not presented to a grand jury, and no criminal charges were filed against the officer.
The investigation was subsequently closed.
The footage and ballistic findings did not make the death any less painful for Darapheth’s family, but they did provide evidence supporting the officers’ account of what happened after he fled.
That is ultimately why the bodycam footage became such an important part of the case. The encounter began with officers speaking to teenagers about drinking in a park, moved into routine questions about parents and citations, and then changed completely when Darapheth ran and, investigators concluded, fired a weapon.
Midwest Crime presented the case as an example of how an ordinary police call can become dangerous almost instantly, while also showing why investigators later rely on body-camera video, physical evidence and ballistic testing rather than the first impressions formed in the immediate aftermath.
The final findings did not erase the tragedy of a 17-year-old losing his life, but they gave a clearer account of the chain of events that led from a minor juvenile alcohol complaint to a fatal officer-involved shooting.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.
