One woman is dead and five others were injured in a drive-by shooting that took place at a vigil for another shooting victim, who died last year at a Dollar General store near Columbus, Ohio.
Mourners gathered at the parking lot of the Dollar General when a dark-colored SUV drove by and opened fire on the crowd. Latoya Carpenter, 39, died after being struck in the head by a stray bullet while driving past the scene, and five others who were shot, including a 12-year-old girl, were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
The vigil was held in honor of 28-year-old Jarrin Hickman, who was shot and killed in April 2020 during a marijuana drug deal, according to court records, after which a man named Varmunyah Dunor was arrested and charged with murder.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office released photo’s of the SUV from which shots were allegedly fired, but no suspects are currently in custody. The incident remains under investigation.
MULTIPLE ARRESTS AFTER DEMONSTRATORS BURN US FLAG AND SMASH WINDOWS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Anthony Livingston, whose wife is an assistant manager at the Dollar General, said she was the only employee who came to work the day after the shooting. Plywood had also been put up over the three window panes that were shot out.
“It shook up a lot of people because there’s innocent people and anybody could’ve gotten shot,” Anthony Livingston told the Columbus Dispatch. “That’s a wrong way to go when you hold on to a grudge like that for a year.”
Jacqueline Bailey, who lives across from the shopping plaza where the shooting took place, said her emotions quickly shifted when she was watching the vigil through her window.
“I thought, ‘That’s so nice they’re celebrating his life. But then, just like that, it was ‘bam, bam, bam,'” Bailey said. “I said, ‘They’re babies. Oh my God, they shot the kids.'”
In Columbus, there as been an uptick in homicides the past year, reaching 60 this year so far. Columbus had its deadliest year on record in 2020, with 176 homicides.
In his “State of the City” address last Wednesday, Mayor Andrew Ginther said there has been an “unprecedented spike in violent crime” in Columbus and other cities.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Neighbors, settling a dispute with violence only leads to more violence. Today, we have one dead and five injured by someone who opened fire at a vigil for another homicide victim. Enough!,” Ginther tweeted on Sunday.
