COLUMBUS – Columbus police are investigating the 50th homicide of 2022, the death of a woman who was found shot to death on the West Side late Thursday night.
The year’s homicide tool lags well behind the number at this point in 2021, when the city had 84 homicides on the way to setting a record of 205 for the year.
The 19-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was found just before midnight by officers dispatched to the 3600 block of Briggs Road to check on the well-being of someone who lived there, Sgt. James Marable of the Columbus police homicide unit said.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The circumstances that led to the shooting are under investigation, Marable said.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).
The incident occurred just hours after Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, police chief Elaine Bryant and other city leaders unveiled more details about their plans for combatting violence.
“We want to be the safest big city in America. We’re not today. But we’re seeing tremendous progress,” Ginther said, also calling out Ohio lawmakers and Congress for failing to enact effective gun control legislation.
The keystones of the plan are youth programming, additional police officers patrolling on weekends and the installation of lights and camera towers to be placed in 22 city parks.
The Safe Streets program, which relies on a greater number of officers on patrol, starts Sunday and the camera and lights that are the keys to “Operation Moonlight” will begin arriving in mid-June, Bryant said.
Homicide victims identified
Police have released the names of two men who were killed this month.
Jorge Fernando Guevara Rodriguez, 37, was found lying in the roadway in the 2000 Block of Springmont Avenue just before 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
This was the 49th homicide of the year and is still under investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call police.
Police have identified the victim in a fatal shooting on the Southeast Side on May 21 as Rayn Cannon, Sgt. Edward Powell III said.
Officers found the 32-year-old Cannon suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in the 4600 Block of Fenimore Court at 2:04 a.m.
Bayette Mitchell, 21, turned himself in to police later that day and was taken to the Franklin County Jail where he is facing a murder charge.