Man arrested in Hilltop killings
Columbus police have arrested a man in connection with a double homicide this month on the Hilltop in which a teen was fatally shot in a car and a man was killed sleeping in a nearby home.
Devon D. Bias, 22, and a second suspect are in custody. Bias faces two murder charges in connection with the deaths in the 200 block of South Wayne Avenue on Dec. 4.
Columbus police are withholding the identity of the second homicide suspect pending the outcome of other investigations, according to a statement. The second suspect has not been charged and is being held on unrelated charges. When officers arrived just before 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 4, they found a silver SUV with its engine running, and 17-year-old Quentin William Smith was lying in an alley. Smith was taken to Mount Carmel West hospital, where he died within a couple of hours. Smith had been in the SUV with a few other people when shots were fired into it.
An affidavit in support of probable cause says a witness identified Bias as one of the shooters.
As crime scene investigators processed the scene, they noticed bullet holes on the front porch of a nearby residence. When no one answered knocks, detectives forced their way inside and discovered 33-year-old Severen T. Clayborn, who was probably asleep when he was shot and killed.
Bias is scheduled for arraignment Friday.
Columbus police have investigated 135 homicides this year; the number of killings is nearing the city’s record of 139 in 1991.