COLUMBUS – The main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library will open at 1:00 p.m. Monday following an active shooter situation Sunday afternoon that caused the building to be evacuated and which left a man injured.
The main library branch, located at 96 S. Grant Avenue, will delay its opening so staff can prepare the building, though the library system’s 22 other locations will be open as usual, director of marketing Gregg Dodd said.
Officers responding to a call of an active shooter at the library just after 3:00 Sunday afternoon found Joseph Steward on the second level of the building, arrested him and recovered a handgun, according to Assault Unit detectives.
Another group of officers found John Thrasher in the basement of the library, suffering from a gunshot wound to his ankle, police said.
Thrasher, 47, was taken to Grant Medical Center and Steward was charged with felonious assault.
The building was evacuated while officers searched the entire building, including the parking garage, and determined there were no additional victims or suspects, investigators said.
The Columbus Dispatch reports witnesses inside the library say they heard several gunshots and were told by library employees that an active shooter was in the building and they needed to leave.
After interviewing dozens of witnesses and examining surveillance video they say captured the shooting, investigators posted on the Division of Police Facebook page that the dispute began when one of the men bumped into the other.
Detective say Steward, 28, told them he fired at Thrasher after an argument that took place near the elevator. Steward says he chased Thrasher through the second level of the library with his handgun out until he was confronted by a library security officer, at which time he surrendered and was quickly arrested by police officers who arrived at scene, according to investigators.
The investigation is continuing.