COLUMBUS – Three men were shot to death in less than 24 hours in Columbus, bringing the total number of homicides in the city in 2021 to 69.
Police say two men were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds in a Franklinton home Sunday morning and another man was shot to death just after midnight Monday.
UPDATE 5/11/21 7:39 a.m.: Updated to include victims’ names
Officers responded shortly after 8:30 a.m. to a report of a person breaking into a home at 425 S. Glenwood Avenue and found a man at the back door who said his cousin was dead inside, Sgt. Eric Pilya of the Columbus police Homicide Unit said.
Carlos Benito, 44, and Jeremy Bickerstaff, 42, were found suffering from with apparent gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Pilya says the 43-year-old man who had been outside also had a gunshot wound and was taken to OSU Wexner Medical Center in stable condition. His name was not released.
A 21-year-old man was killed in a double shooting in South Linden early Monday.
Officers responding to a reported shooting in the 1700 block of Kenmore Road just after 12:30 a.m. found a man leaving the area in a vehicle as they were arriving, Sgt. David Shimberg said.
They discovered that Evan Hill, 23, was suffering from a gunshot wound and was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
Officers then found Derek Hoston, 23, lying in a parking lot, also suffering from an apparent gunshot injury, and he died later at Riverside Methodist Hospital, Shimberg said.
Investigators are still trying to identify a suspect and the victim’s identity is being withheld pending positive identification and next of kin notification.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Section at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS.
A 25-year-old woman has been accused of shooting a man during an argument in the OSU campus area early Friday morning.
Police say Lyricka Loury and Brandon Murphy were arguing in a parking lot behind an apartment building in the 300 block of E. 11th Avenue at 7:38 a.m. when Loury shot Murphy in the arm, Sgt. James Marable said.