Neighborhood fight ends in fatal shooting

A simmering neighborhood dispute boiled over and ended with a man shot dead in the street during a fight Wednesday afternoon on the West Side, Columbus police said.

The man who did the shooting called 911 himself to report the incident shortly before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said. He told the dispatcher that he shot the other man in self-defense.

But Columbus police homicide detectives determined otherwise and Wednesday night charged Joshua S. Ferrell, 30, with murder in the death of Mario DiPenti, 51, who lived a few doors away in the 500 block of Westmoor Place.

Franklin Township Fire medics responded to Ferrell’s house in the 3000 block of Westmoor Court at the intersection of Westmoor Place in the Valleyview Heights neighborhood. DiPenti was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:40 p.m. A white sheet was put over his body, surrounded by orange cones.

DiPenti’s death was the 36th homicide this year in Columbus. He was the principal in Single Dads Moving Service LLC, which was based out of his home, according to Public Utility Commission of Ohio and U.S. Department of Transportation records.

Sgt. Stan Latta told reporters and photojournalists at the scene that the fight was the result of a “neighborhood dispute” that had been simmering for several days. Police had responded to the street on Tuesday, he said.

Tim Ruda, 43, told The Dispatch that the two men had yelled at each other outside Tuesday night after DiPenti came too close to or actually sideswiped Ferrell’s car.

On Wednesday afternoon, the two men “were wrestling/ fighting on the street when Mr. Ferrell produced a handgun,” fired and struck the victim, according to court records. Much of the incident was captured on video and reviewed by homicide detectives, who took Ferrell into custody.

Dustin Thompson posted on his Facebook page cellphone video from when he drove down the street moments after the shooting occurred. The graphic video showed the shirtless and shoeless DiPenti, crumpled and bloody on the road.

“Only on the West Side, man ... this is insane,” Thompson said on the video. Seconds later, a Columbus police cruiser passes Thompson’s vehicle and arrives at the scene.

Lori Cremeans, who lives in the neighborhood, told The Dispatch she was “very upset” that the cellphone video was posted on social media so soon after the shooting. She said the victim’s family didn’t even know what happened yet.

Ruda’s father, John, 74, said he heard his dog barking Wednesday afternoon and looked outside and saw the victim lying in the street. He can be seen in Thompson’s video, walking up to the body.

“That doesn’t happen in this neighborhood,” he said.