(Editor’s note: On July 11, 2025, a jury convicted Miles Gibson, 30, of murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the June 5, 2023, shooting death of Kennedy Cowans, 20. On Aug. 14, 2025, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Karen Held Phipps sentenced Gibson to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years.)
A man accused of fatally shooting a woman during an argument on the Southeast Side earlier this week is being held on a $1 million bond after being arrested Thursday afternoon.
Miles O. Gibson, 28, of the Southeast Side, was arrested without incident Thursday afternoon by U.S. Marshals Task Force officers, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
Gibson was wanted on an arrest warrant in connection with the Monday shooting death of 20-year-old Kennedy Cowans.
Cowans was found shot around 12:45 p.m. Monday at an apartment complex located off of Refugee Road on the Southeast Side. Witnesses told police they heard Gibson and Cowans arguing shortly before hearing a single gunshot.
Cowans ran into the apartment complex and sought help. She was found by officers on the 3300 block of Brooke Colony Drive, police said. She was rushed to Mount Carmel East Hospital, but died from her injuries at 3:02 p.m. Monday.
Cowans’ family and friends have started an online fundraiser to help cover the costs of her funeral.
Gibson had his first court hearing on Friday morning in Franklin County Municipal Court. Judge Gina Russo set Gibson’s bond at $1 million and ordered him to have no contact with Cowans’ family, to stay away from where the shooting took place and not have any firearms in his possession.
If Gibson were to post that bond, he would not be released from the Franklin County jail, however, because he is also being held in connection with an unrelated 2021 burglary case. Gibson, according to Franklin County Common Pleas Court records, had failed to appear for a trial date in April and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
In that case, Gibson had been released on a $10,000 recognizance bond that was set in November 2022. His indictment and bond in the burglary case, under Ohio law, did not allow Gibson to possess a firearm.
jsmola@dispatch.com
@jennsmola
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: $1M bond set for man accused of fatally shooting 20-year-old after Southeast Side argument
Reporting by Jennifer Smola Shaffer, The Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
