Family, police seek leads in slaying
Diana McDaniel held her oldest son in her arms for the last time.
Shawn McDaniel, 28, had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and his mother was on the phone with dispatchers, hoping for a miracle.
But Shawn McDaniel took his last labored breaths and was pronounced dead by medics when they arrived at the Hilltop home just before 5 a.m. on Oct. 24.
As part of Crime Stoppers’ Crime of the Week, Columbus police are hoping someone with information will come forward about the shooting.
“He was a wonderful person. He would do anything for you. Please help,” Ms. McDaniel told The Dispatch in a phone interview last week. “We just need to get some leads.”
Shawn McDaniel’s girlfriend posted a sex ad on Backpage. com and McDaniel’s suspected killer responded, said Columbus police homicide Detective Bob Powers.
The suspect is a short Latino man with an average build. He showed up at the Hilltop residence on South Terrace Avenue, and McDaniel and his girlfriend let him inside.
Then they went down to the basement, where something went wrong. The man pulled out a gun and shot McDaniel, Powers said.
Diana McDaniel was awake when she heard the commotion. She said the gunshots sounded like someone banging a pan.
She was about to yell about the noise when she heard McDaniel’s girlfriend say, “You shot my boyfriend.”
Diana McDaniel called 911. She told The Dispatch that her son and his girlfriend lived with her.
Her son, who leaves behind two boys, ages 10 and 7, grew up on the West Side. She said her son was intelligent and loved to cook. He had just prepared beef tips with onions and mushrooms for her before he was killed.
But he also struggled with drug use, she said. “He had just got mixed up with the wrong life, and it took its toll.”
Powers said it will likely take tips from the Latino community to make an arrest.
A reward is being offered to anyone who might have information leading to the arrest or indictment of the suspect. Tipsters remain anonymous. Anyone with information can call 614461-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at stopcrime.org.