COLUMBUS – Three people have been indicted for their roles in the death of an infant who overdosed on fentanyl on the Wes Side last month.
Officers responding to the report of an unresponsive baby in the 100 Block of S. Harris Avenue on Nov. 18 found the 1-year-old boy being taken by to Nationwide Children’s Hospital by Division of Fire personnel, according to detectives with the Columbus police Homicide Unit.
Dekari Johnson died at the hospital and tested positive for the synthetic opioid fentanyl during an autopsy conducted by the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, police said.
A Franklin County grand jury returned indictments against the baby’s father, 20-year-old David Johnson, on charges of involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, tampering with evidence and 10 drug-related felonies, police said.
Daviair Porter, 22, was indicted on charges of tampering with evidence, drug possession and obstructing official business.
Destiny Strickland, 20, was indicted on a felony charge of obstructing official business.
Police: Fatal accident victim had been shot
Police say a man who died following a crash on the Far Northwest Side Saturday night had been shot prior to the accident, making Thomas Hritzo III the 131st homicide victim of 2022 in Columbus, police said.
Hritzo, 18, was found unresponsive inside of his vehicle by officers responding to an injury accident in the area of Sawmill Road and Stone Lake Drive just before 9:10 p.m. on Saturday and he was taken to a hospital by Columbus Division of Fire paramedics.
Hospital staff determined that Hritzo was suffering from a gunshot wound and died Sunday afternoon.
The incident remains under investigation and anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).
Second suspect arrested in deadly gun battle
An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder and robbery in the death of Miguel Arriola during a running gun battle in the Westgate neighborhood on August 19, Sgt. Edward Powell III of the Homicide Unit said.
Abdulkadir Ahmed has been charged in connection with the death of Arriola, who was killed as individuals in two vehicles were reported to be chasing each other and shooting in the 3000 Block of Wicklow Road, Powell said.
Arriola was found, still seated in his vehicle, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, in the area of Parkside Road and S. Roys Avenue. Another man in the vehicle was not injured.
Hussein Bilal, 21, was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury on Sept. 22 on charges of murder, felonious assault and robbery. He was imprisoned in the Franklin County Jail on Sept. 28.