Man ID’D as suspect in Polaris shooting
Columbus police have identified one of two suspects they say exchanged gunfire last week inside the Polaris Fashion Place.
Anthony Deshawn Truss Jr., 21, is wanted on a felony charge of assault filed with the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office.
Columbus police listed Truss’ last known address as being on Antwerp Street on the East Side. But Franklin County Municipal Court records from a traffic stop involving Truss last September indicate that he lived in apartment complex off Taylor Road on Tributary Lane in Reynoldsburg.
Truss is described by police as a Black male who is 5 feet, 9 inches, weighing 140 pounds.
Truss and a second man – whose identity remains unknown – are suspected of engaging in a shootout last Wednesday at Polaris that forced the evacuation and closure of the mall. Police said the shooting, which was reported around 12:30 p.m., stemmed from a domestic dispute involving both young men.
Columbus police had initially said they knew who the suspects were, though they declined to identify them and urged the men to turn themselves in. But late Thursday, police posted four photos on Twitter from surveillance footage of the two suspects, asking the public’s help in identifying who they are.
The surveillance images appear to show one man – wearing an orange hoodie and a San Francisco Giants baseball cap – firing inside the Carter’s Oshkosh B’ggosh children’s clothing store at the other man, who was wearing a gray hoodie. Police said Truss is the man in a gray hoodie.
The shooting then spilled outside of the store on the mall’s first floor when the second man, believed to be Truss, returned fire as the first shooter walked away.
One firearm was later recovered at the mall under a parked vehicle after a witness provided police with information about the firearm being placed there.
No one was injured in the shooting, and the mall reopened Thursday morning with an increased police presence at the request of the mall’s management, Sgt. James Fuqua said last week.
“Active measures are being taken to locate and apprehend (Truss,)” police said in a news release. “We are asking that Mr. Truss surrender himself peacefully to authorities to insure his safety and the safety of all parties involved.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 614-461-TIPS, or detective Adam Federer at 614-645-4011, afederer@columbuspolice.org.
elagatta@dispatch.com