Three teenagers — a 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds — have been charged in the fatal shooting of a 53-year-old man in Columbus' Hilltop area.
At around 7:53 p.m. Oct. 6, Columbus police responded to the 2100 block of Clarendon Lane, just south of Sullivant Avenue, after hearing gunshots. Officers found Cedric Cole with t least one gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene just before 8:30 p.m., police said.
Three teenagers – two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old – have been charged with murder in connection with Cole's death. Police said that a preliminary investigation found that there was an argument between the teenagers and Cole that led to the shooting.
The Dispatch will not be naming the three suspects because they have not been
charged as adults at this time. All three of the boys were arrested and taken to the Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center, police said.
Juveniles who are 14 or 15 charged with murder or other serious felonies are eligible for mandatory transfer to adult court under Ohio law depending on various circumstances and following a hearing in juvenile court to determine if there is probable cause to believe that the child committed the act charged and the court determines the teen "is not amenable to care or rehabilitation within the juvenile system, and the safety of the community may require that the child be subject to adult sanctions."
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Columbus police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or provide an anonymous tip to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.
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: 3 teenagers facing murder charges in connection with Hilltop shooting
