Woman shot in 2014 dies; N. Linden man slain
A woman who police say was shot while attempting to rob a man in March of 2014 died Thursday at Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia, becoming Columbus’ 137th homicide this year.
Janae Strodes tried to take money and drugs from Lamar D. Reynolds in Columbus on March 11, 2014, according to Columbus police. Reynolds then shot Strodes. Strodes was 16 when she was shot and 20 when she died. Reynolds, of the East Side, is 36, according to court documents.
Strodes died as a direct result of the gunshot wound she received three years and nine months ago, according to police. She was a Northeast Side resident, according to voting records. A Franklin County Grand Jury will determine whether the shooting was justifiable and consider any possible charges, according to Columbus police.
Strodes is currently in the Franklin County Jail, charged with the murder of Damon Jenkins, according to court records. Police found Jenkins suffering from a gunshot wound on Sept. 30 near Livingston and Fairwood avenues on the Near East Side.
Meanwhile, another shooting victim died Friday after an early- morning attack in North Linden.
Columbus police officers responded to a call at 1: 12 a. m. of an unresponsive person down in front of a building in the 2900 block of Cleveland Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers saw James Virgil Johnson, 61, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Medics arrived and pronounced Johnson dead at 1: 21 a. m. He is listed in state voter registration records as having lived in North Linden.
Police are still investigating the incident. There were no suspects or known motives Friday night.
Anyone with information about Johnson’s death is asked to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614- 645- 4730.
Johnson’s death is the 136th homicide in Columbus this year. The highest number of homicides in the city in one year was 139 in 1991.
On Friday, police also released the name of a man who was shot Wednesday evening at the Dawghouse Bar on Lockbourne Road and found about a half- block away at Studer and Reeb avenues. Gary Copling, 41, was taken to Grant Medical Center in life- threatening condition and died at the hospital. Police continue to investigate the case.