Young girl drowns during birthday party

Shooting victim on Far North Side dies

A man who turned up at a Far North Side fire station after being shot yesterday afternoon died later at a hospital, police say.

The victim, whose identity was not released last night, arrived at 4:45 p.m. at Columbus Division of Fire Station 27, 7560 Smoky Row Rd., in an SUV. He was driven there by another man, who was interviewed by police.

The victim was taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:04 p.m.

Police said the victim might have been shot on nearby Sandbury Boulevard, but homicide detective Bill Rotthoff said early yesterday evening that detectives had not pinpointed a site.

A 4-year-old girl died last night after she was found at the bottom of an in-ground backyard pool during a birthday party on the North Side.

The girl was at a home at 4870 Manitoba Rd.

She was unresponsive when pulled from 4 feet of water about 6:40 p.m. and taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She was pronounced dead there after 7 p.m.

The girl had been wearing a “float vest” when she was in the pool earlier, but she apparently re-entered the pool without wearing the vest, Columbus police Sgt. Christ Holzhauser said. During that time, many of the 75 to 100 partygoers were apparently distracted while singing Happy Birthday to You to a 1-year-old. The 4-yearold drowning victim was then spotted in the pool.

Efforts to revive the child were unsuccessful.

“I see nothing that indicates that anyone was inattentive, negligent in any manner,” Holzhauser said. “It just seems like this is clearly a sad, unfortunate accident.”

Also last night, a 4-yearold boy was taken by helicopter to Nationwide Children's Hospital after nearly drowning in a farm pond in Licking County. His condition was not available late last night.

Patrol: Two dead after minivan runs stop sign

Two people died after their vehicles collided yesterday afternoon at Rt. 98 and Marseilles-Galion Road in Marion County.

Kenneth H. Brewer, 66, of Marion, and Angela M. Bloomfield, 44, of Delaware, were pronounced dead at the scene of the 1:11 p.m. crash, according to the State Highway Patrol’s Marion post.

Brewer’s vehicle was heading east on Marseilles-Galion Road when he apparently failed to stop at a stop sign. His minivan struck a sport utility vehicle driven by Bloomfield, who was northbound on Rt. 98, the patrol said.

A passenger in Brewer’s vehicle, Nicholos J.A. Colegrove, 36, of Marion, was taken by helicopter to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. His condition there was not available.