A person found shot and unresponsive and later died at a hospital following a shooting and car chase that started in downtown Columbusdid not die as a result of that incident, authorities say, and the person's death is not being ruled a homicide.
Just after 2:40 a.m. Aug. 3, a Franklin County Sheriff's deputy told Columbus police he was in the area of South High and Fulton streets when he heard several gunshots north of his location, police said. The deputy reported he then saw two vehicles drive past him southbound on High Street at a high rate of speed, then turn eastbound on East Livingston Avenue with an occupant of the second vehicle shooting at the car in front of them, police said.
The deputy followed one of the vehicles to the 1800 block
of Gault Street, where the driver and passenger then fled. While searching for the suspects, a Columbus police officer found a person lying unconscious near the area of Gault Street and Rhoads Avenue. That person was transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead just before 3:30 a.m., police said.
Another person who was shot took themselves to a hospital and was treated and released.
In an Aug. 5 media release, Columbus police said the victim found lying unconscious in the street was not involved in the gunfire and car chase incident.
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage and determined that the victim was not injured in connection with that shooting, police said in the release. The person's death was not ruled a homicide by the Franklin County Coroner's Office, police said.
Police have not identified the person who died, pending notification of family, which has not happened yet, police said. The incident is currently being classified as a person "dead on arrival."
Shell casings recovered from gunfire have been collected, and police continue to investigate the matter. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Columbus police at 614-645-4730 or 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: Person found unresponsive not involved in downtown Columbus shooting, car chase
