Columbus homicides dropped by considerable numbers in 2024, with the city experiencing a 17% decrease in killings over the previous year. The downward trend has continued in 2025 with homicides and shootings down so far this year.
The Dispatch tracks all homicides to get a sense of where violence is happening in the city and Franklin County and to remember the victims. This list is preliminary, and the number of homicides can change as law enforcement investigates each case and decides whether the killing was criminal, justified, accidental, or the result of suicide.
The Dispatch excludes fatal overdoses, accidents, suicides and hit-and-run deaths deemed unintentional by law enforcement. The information we compile comes from Columbus and Franklin County law enforcement, court records and interviews with family and loved ones of homicide victims and is subject to change.
East Side man arrested in connection with fatal shooting near Ohio Statehouse
Columbus police have arrested an East Side man in connection with the fatal shooting Nov. 21 of a Whitehall man near the Ohio Statehouse.
Tyrek Simpson, 24, has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 25 year-old Lamar O. Ross. Simpson and was arrested Dec. 4 by a Columbus police SWAT team without incident, police said in a news release.
Police responded to a report of a shooting near the intersection of High and Broad streets on Nov. 21 at 2:57 a.m., police said. Officers found Ross suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Ross was transported by Columbus Fire medics in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Downtown, where he was pronounced dead at 3:28 a.m. on Nov. 21. Ross celebrated his 25th birthday on Nov. 20.
Thanksgiving Day shooting leaves one dead, police still seeking motive
A 29-year-old man was found suffering from a gunshot wound on the city’s East Side on Thanksgiving Day and later died from his injuries.
Columbus police were called to the 700 block of S. Broadleigh Road at 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 27 and found Christopher L. Smith unresponsive at the scene, police said in a news release.
Columbus Fire paramedics took Smith to a hospital and he was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m.
Columbus police are still investigating and have not yet determined a motive for the shooting.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Columbus police Detective Yoder at (614) 645-2040, the Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730, or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).
Victim of fatal domestic shooting on Columbus’ East Side identified
Columbus police say a suspect in a Nov. 21 fatal shooting at an East Side apartment building has turned herself in.
Miyaira Tyler, 20, turned herself in at the Franklin County Correction Center, police said in a Dec. 5 news release. She faces a murder charge in the shooting death of Keith A. Morgan.
Officers found Morgan, 42, unresponsive from a gunshot wound at 6:55 p.m. Nov. 21 in an apartment in the first block of North Hampton Road by officers responding to a shooting report, police said in a Nov. 24 news release.
Medics took Morgan to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he died at 7:56 p.m., police said.
Homicide detectives say their preliminary investigation revealed that the fatal shooting was the result of violence from a domestic relationship. However, as with the Nov. 22 news release about the shooting, detectives again did not identify a suspect in their Nov. 24 release.
Authorities ask anyone with information about the shooting to call Columbus police Homicide Detective Eric Poliseno at 614-645-6420, the Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).
Police investigating fatal house fire as murder-suicide
Columbus police said a house fire that killed three people may have been intentionally set by the family’s son, who died in the fire.
A fire broke out at about 2 a.m. at a house on the 2900 block of Freedom Trail near Reynoldsburg on Nov. 17. A woman and a child escaped through an upper-floor window, but a neighbor who called 911 said three people were trapped inside the burning home.
The child was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, while the woman was in stable condition.
Mame Khaly Dieye, 61, and Safietou “Sophie” Diop Dieye, 57, died in the fire along with their adult son, 25-year-old Cheikh Dieye.
On Nov. 20, Columbus police said detectives believe Cheikh Dieye intentionally lit the fire. He had previously been charged with threatening to kill both his parents in 2022 and 2023, but the cases against him were dismissed when he was found incompetent to stand trial.
Suspect in custody in fatal shooting at East Side shopping plaza
A Columbus man wanted for a fatal Nov. 17 shooting at a shopping plaza on Columbus’ East Side has been arrested.
Johnathan Triplett, 29, of the Northeast Side, was arrested Jan. 7, 2026, by a Columbus police SWAT team. He had been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Trevon Durham at a shoe store.
Columbus police responded Nov. 17 at 7:51 p.m. to a reported shooting at ZZ Boots, located at 2264 S. Hamilton Road. On arrival, officers found Durham suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.
Medics pronounced Durham dead at the scene at 8:01 p.m., police said. A warrant was later issued for Triplett on a murder charge.
Triplett was in custody at the Franklin County jail. Additional details about the shooting, including a motive, were not immediately available because the case was still sealed the evening of Jan. 7 on an order from a Franklin County judge.
Anyone with information on the shooting can contact the Columbus police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730.
One dead, one charged with murder in East Side shooting
One man died and another was charged with murder in a shooting on Columbus’ East Side that police said was domestic violence-related.
Officers responded to a shooting at 4:34 p.m. Nov. 16 on the 2000 block of East Moreland Drive, according to a Columbus police news release.
Officers found Isaiah Hairston, 26, with a gunshot wound. Medics transported Hairston in critical condition to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5 p.m.
Shelton Sutton, 21, was charged with murder.
Police said the shooting “has a domestic violence component,” but did not say what relationship the two men had.
Woman charged in fatal stabbing of 62-year-old man in South Linden
A South Linden woman has been charged with murder after a man died at the hospital more than a week after he was stabbed.
Sasha Townsend, 35, is charged with felonious assault and two counts of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of 62-year-old Charles Haynes, according to Columbus police.
Officers responded around 5:11 p.m. on Oct. 29 to the 900 block of East 20th Avenue on an unknown complaint. They found Haynes unresponsive and suffering from a puncture wound to his chest, police said.
Columbus Division of Fire Medics transported Haynes in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. A doctor told detectives that Haynes’ chances of survival were “very little” because of injuries to his lungs and heart, according to a criminal complaint filed by city homicide detectives.
Haynes died at the hospital at 9:05 p.m. on Nov. 6, more than a week after he was stabbed, the complaint reads.
Townsend was taken into custody after the stabbing and questioned at Columbus police headquarters. Police said she gave different stories as to what happened. Detectives were able to get audio and video of the altercation from a next-door neighbor.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the home and found knives and what appeared to be blood in the kitchen sink, according to the complaint.
Townsend is currently in custody at the Franklin County jail. In addition to the felonious assault and murder charges, she has also been charged with tampering with evidence, according to Franklin County Common Pleas Court filings.
Detectives did not say what relationship existed between Townsend and Haynes.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized where Townsend and Haynes lived.
Columbus man charged in fatal road-rage shooting of woman
A Columbus man has been charged in connection with what police say was a road rage shooting that killed a woman and wounded her sister.
Khaliq Hunt, 22, has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting, which happened around 1:15 p.m. Nov. 2 in the 800 block of East Hudson Street, according to Columbus police.
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about gunfire when they found a 2008 Pontiac G6 that crashed at East Hudson Street and Velma Avenue. Officers found Hannah Taylor, 22, unresponsive in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound, while her sister was outside the car suffering from a gunshot wound, city homicide detectives allege in a criminal complaint.
Taylor died at the scene, and medics took her sister to a local hospital in stable condition.
The shooting possibly stemmed from road rage and happened as two involved vehicles were driving, according to the news release.
Read More: Three killed in separate incidents as deadly Columbus Sunday diverges from year’s trend
Woman killed in Near East Side shooting
A 33-year-old woman has died in a shooting in the early morning of Nov. 2 on the North East Side of Columbus.
Columbus Police officers were dispatched at 3:34 a.m. to the 1100 block of Wildwood Avenue. They found Shakeilah White suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. She was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead at 4:01 a.m.
Police charged 36-year-old Lezerick Davis with murder in connection with White’s death. According to court records, Davis shot White inside the home and then dragged her body onto the home’s porch, which was seen by a witness.
Detectives found a gun on the porch near White.
Lake County man charged in fatal stabbing near Ohio Union
A northeast Ohio man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal stabbing near the Ohio Union.
Joseph Gerich, 21, of Lake County, has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Robert Russell. Detectives said that Russell and Gerich were engaged in a fight when Gerich stabbed Russell multiple times with a knife.
On Nov. 2, officers responded just before 1:50 a.m. to a report of a stabbing at the Uno bar located at 1770 N. High St., according to an affidavit filed by a city homicide detective. On arrival, officers found Russell lying in an alley between East 13th and 14th avenues, the affidavit states. Russell was transported to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead at 2:17 a.m.
The detective said officers reviewed video footage of the altercation and interviewed witnesses. They were able to identify Gerich as the suspect. Witnesses also told detectives that Gerich stabbed Russell multiple times during the fight.
Gerich surrendered to detectives on Nov. 20 while accompanied by his lawyer, police said. He is in custody at the Franklin County jail. A bond amount has not been set.
The Ohio Union is a 318,000 square foot building at Ohio State University that includes event space, multiple dining options and student life offices.
Police are asking that people or nearby businesses with any knowledge or security footage reach out to the department by uploading evidence online, contacting the detective on the case at 614-645-4488, or contacting Columbus Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).
Previous 2025 Columbus homicide coverage
October 2025 | September 2025 | August 2025 | July 2025 | June 2025 | May 2025 | April 2025 | March 2025 | February 2025
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Homicides in Columbus and Franklin County in November 2025
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Shahid Meighan, Anna Lynn Winfrey and Danae King, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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