Parents charged in death of 5-year-old who shot herself
Columbus' homicide toll this year moved closer toward 200 as of early Wednesday afternoon as the death of a toddler who shot herself with a firearm in July is now classified as a homicide and a man was fatally shot Tuesday night at a Southeast Side gas station.
A Franklin County grand jury on Tuesday issued indictments against 44-year-old Antwan Robinson and 24year-old Breana Mathews in connection with the July 31 death of their daughter, 5-year-old Serenity Robinson.
According to a release from Columbus police, Serenity shot herself around 9:45 a.m. that day with an unattended firearm inside her home on the 2100 block of Via Da Vinci Court, located on the city's Northeast Side.
The girl was rushed to Nationwide Children's Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Columbus police homicide detectives investigated the case and presented information to the Franklin County Prosecutor's office.
Prosecutors presented the case to a Franklin County grand jury, which issued indictments against the parents.
Antwan Robinson has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count each of felony child endangerment and having weapons under disability. Robinson has a prior felony conviction that barred him from legally possessing a firearm.
Mathews has been charged with one count each of involuntary manslaughter and felony child endangerment.
Both parents were arrested without incident on Tuesday by a Columbus police SWAT team.
As a result of the indictment, Serenity Robinson's death has now been classified as the 191st homicide in Columbus in 2021.
Detectives are also investigating the death of a 25-year-old man who was fatally shot Tuesday night at a Southeast Side gas station.
According to police, Timothy Wash, of the Southeast Side, pulled into the gas station around 9:10 p.m. on Tuesday and parked at a gas pump. Another vehicle pulled up to an adjacent gas pump a short time later.
Police said a passenger in the other vehicle got out and with no provocation or warning began shooting at Wash and his vehicle. Walsh was struck, and the suspects then fled in an unknown direction.
Wash was taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital, but did not survive his injuries. His death is the 192nd homicide in this record year in the city. The previous annual record for total homicides in Columbus was 175 last year, though investigators last month increased that figure to 177 to account for circumstances in two other deaths.
Anyone with information about Wash's death or any other city homicide is asked to call detectives at 614-6454730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner