Authorities identify man killed in shootout with task force members
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office has released the identify of a man who was killed Dec. 8 in an exchange of gunfire with members of a federal fugitive task force at a home on Columbus' Southeast Side.
Donta R. Stewart, 18, of Reynoldsburg, died after being transported to a hospital in critical condition, the sheriff 's office said in a media release issued Monday.
Stewart fired at task force members who were taking a fugitive into custody on a warrant inside a residence in the 2700 block of Four Seasons Drive, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a release after the shooting. Stewart fired from inside a closet, according to the release.
Stewart and a deputy U.S. marshal were struck during the exchange of gunfire. The deputy marshal, who was struck in the torso, is recovering from his injuries.
The identity of the injured marshal is being withheld until he is released from the hospital, Mo Kocot, a sheriff 's office spokeswoman, said Monday.
Franklin County Chief Deputy Rick Minerd Jr. said at the scene that the shooting occurred just before 9:30 a.m. when the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) was making entry into the residence.
The residence is in a large subdivision located south of Williams Road and east of Alum Creek Drive on the southeast side of Columbus.
In a written statement released that day, the U.S. Marshals Service said its task force members were there to arrest a man wanted by Columbus police for an aggravated robbery charge. But the target of the arrest warrant was not injured, authorities also said.
Court records show that Stewart was wanted on a warrant for aggravated robbery, issued in August by Reynoldsburg police.
Roxanne Thurston, 26, listed in court records as living at the address where the raid occurred, was arrested that day on a warrant for robbery, issued in November by Columbus police. She was among four people at the house on outstanding warrants, the sheriff's office said.
SOFAST is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement task force created by the U.S. Marshals Service “to arrest the most violent felons in the Southern District of Ohio,” with strike teams headquartered in Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. The task force is made up of U.S. Marshals as well as agents, officers, and deputies from multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Minerd said law enforcement agencies involved at the scene decided that the Franklin County Sheriff's office would handle the investigation into the shooting because it is no longer a member of SOFAST. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation handled processing of the scene for evidence. jfutty@dispatch.com @johnfutty