Columbus police are asking for the public’s help to identify possible suspects involved in a mass shooting over the weekend that killed an 18-year-old man and injured seven other people.
Jusiah Mason, 18, was shot in the early morning on June 14 near the intersection of South Ludlow and West Town streets near the Scioto River, Columbus police said. He died at a local hospital on June 15. Police said that just before the shooting, they were receiving reports of between 50 and 80 people gathered in the area.
Six other people were injured by gunshot, and a seventh sustained non-gunfire injuries.
Speaking to reporters on June 16 at Columbus Division of Police headquarters, Downtown, police Sgt. Joe Albert said detectives were combing through surveillance footage and are “begging for the public’s help” to identify suspects or vehicles that may have been involved. Albert said that investigators are specifically looking for videos in an area south of West State Street, west of South High Street, north of West Rich Street, and east of Civic Center Drive.
Police responded at about 3:15 a.m. June 14 to reports of shooting. They located five adults and one juvenile who were shot. All but Mason were transported to local hospitals in stable condition.
An additional adult victim arrived at a local hospital on their own in stable condition. Another juvenile suffered injuries that weren’t related to the gunfire, police said.
During the press briefing, Albert chastised individuals who continue to contribute to gun violence in the city, urged parents to be aware of their childrens’ whereabouts, and reminded gun owners to lock up their firearms so they do not wind up in the wrong hands.
“Gun violence in our city has to stop,” said Albert. “Juveniles are getting these guns somehow; they’re not just buying them legally.”
Asked about whether police recovered any guns, Albert wouldn’t say what evidence was recovered at the scene of the shooting. Several yellow evidence markers were arranged on the sidewalk on Town Street that morning, and Columbus police investigators were loading brown paper bags into a crime scene van.
Police asked anyone with video, photos or other digital evidence to upload it online for investigators at columbuspdoh.evidence.com.
Anyone with information on the shooting can contact the Columbus police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or provide an anonymous tip Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police asking for public’s help to solve mass shooting that killed 1, wounded 6
Reporting by Bailey Gallion and Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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