By Beth Burger, The Columbus Dispatch, and staff reports
COLUMBUS – Three fatal shootings in a violent five-hour period overnight Sunday and early Monday brought the total number of homicides in Columbus to 45, a significant increase over last year’s pace, and a trend law enforcement officials are at a loss to fully explain.
NOTE: This article has been updated with additional information
Four shooting incidents between Saturday night and early Monday morning resulted in three fatalities and injuries to at least three other people.
9:24 p.m. Sat.: Tonoia Hill, 30, was shot in the arm and leg in the 1200 block of Floribunda Drive on the East Side.
10:19 p.m. Sun.: Thomas Louis Drewry, 34, was killed and Gerrell Russell, 32, and Dareckus Taylor, 36, were injured when several gunshots were fired in the 1300 block of N. 4th Street on the North Side
1:44 a.m. Mon.: Alexander Joseph Lorms, 18, was shot to death inside a home in the 1900 block of Republic Avenue UPDATE: Ralph Edward Barrie, 18, of Amol Lane was arrested May 29 on a murder charge in connection with this incident
3:01 a.m.: Keon Jerome Mitchell, 25, was found shot in a vehicle on Olde Crescent Dr. East on the Southeast Side and died later.Police listed no suspects or motives in any of the incidents. Anyone with any information on any of the incidents is asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS.
It’s typical for the number of shootings in the city to rise along with the temperature, police say.
But this hasn’t been a typical year.
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“This winter didn’t slow down,” said Columbus police Detective Ron Lemmon, with the third-shift assault squad.
As of Thursday, there were 42 homicides in the city — a 44 percent increase compared to the same time last year, when there were 29 homicides.
It’s unclear what’s causing the rise.
One reason could be that police have investigated six double homicides already this year. During all of last year, there was one triple homicide and two doubles.
The relationships between those killed in double homicides this year have included best friends, brothers and a couple.
It’s unclear whether there have been more overall shootings this year. Investigators say it feels like there’s been a jump, but that’s not something Columbus police track. In the Assault Unit, felonious assaults — stabbings, shootings, etc. — warrant the same charge.
“It’s something people might want to know, but it doesn’t benefit us as a law-enforcement agency,” said Sgt. James Jardine, who oversees the second-shift assault unit.
He said that regardless of the number of non-fatal shootings, detectives still investigate every case.
Sgt. Jeff Strayer, who oversees third-shift homicide, said the numbers could be even higher. There have been a number of shootings in which there are multiple injuries but only one fatality.
On March 11, there was a shooting at a sweet 16 party that left two wounded and one dead. It could have been a double fatality had a police officer not used a tourniquet on one of the victims, Strayer said.
Experts say it comes down to where and what kind of wound patients suffer, and whether they reach surgeons within the “golden hour” — the optimal time frame to save trauma patients.
“Two inches and a squad ride,” Strayer said. “It’s a roll of the dice.”