Columbus already this year within 10 of 2020’s record 175 homicides
Columbus police responding to gunshots detected early Friday by its Shotspotter alert system discovered a 51year-old man critically wounded inside a car in an alley behind a day care in the 2100 block of Cleveland Avenue.
John D. Moore, 51, was shot at 1:37 a.m. as a result of a shooting that may have been a robbery attempt and scuffle. He was transported to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center, where police say he was later pronounced dead at 3:14 a.m. Thursday.
Moore's death was the city's 165th homicide of 2021 as of mid-afternoon Saturday. That's only 10 fewer than the record number of homicides that occurred during the entire year of 2020, and there are about 2.5 months left in the year.
Homicide detectives on Friday also identified a man shot and killed during a shootout late Wednesday night between two men in German Village.
Police said that at about 11:32 p.m. they were called to the 600 block of Lazelle Street and found two men wounded following an exchange of gunfire. One of the men, Marcus George, 32, died about 20 minutes later at Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center.
The other man — whom police have not identified beyond his age, 36, — told police just before he was taken into surgery that George had approached him and shot him in the leg. The man, a concealed-carry permit holder, said he pulled out his own gun and shot George in an exchange of gunfire.
No charges have been filed against the second man. The case will be forwarded to the Franklin County prosecutors for review.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477). wbush@gannett.com @Reporterbush