Columbus police searching for Canton man charged in fatal Northland strip club shooting
Columbus police have charged a Canton man with murder in connection with a shooting early Sunday morning at a Northland strip club that killed one and injured several others.
The fatal shooting is one of three fatal bar/nightclub shootings in the Columbus area to start 2023, including a New Year’s Day shooting at a strip club in Mifflin Township that killed one and wounded four and a Northeast Side bar shooting that killed one.
Columbus police on Tuesday announced they have an arrest warrant and are seeking 21-year-old Travis Ingram, of Canton, on a charge of murder for fatally shooting Charles T. Smith, 37, early Sunday at The Doll House, a Northland strip club located in the 1600 block of Karl Court located near East Dublin-Granville Road (Route 161).
Around 2:15 a.m. Sunday, police responded to The Doll House on a report of gunfire. When police arrived, they discovered Smith suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Medics pronounced Smith dead at the scene around 2:27 a.m.
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Medics transported two wounded female victims, a 23-year-old and 24-year-old, to a local hospital in stable condition for their injuries. A fourth victim, who sustained a graze wound, was treated at the scene and released after questioning from investigators.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Ingram was still at large.
Fatal shooting is second recent incident at The Doll House
The fatal shooting at The Doll House is the second shooting at that location in about four months. On Sept. 27, police said at least five people were shot there in an apparent argument that turned into gunfire in the parking lot just outside the building.
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"One of the combatants produced a handgun and fired multiple times at several victims," police said in a news release. Three men, two age 22 and one 27, were struck in the feet and legs.
Another victim not listed in the news release left the scene and did not go to a hospital, while a woman sustained what police are calling "an extremely minor injury."
In December, Columbus City Council voted to object to the continuation of The Doll House's liquor license with the Ohio Liquor Control Commission along with a dozen other establishments, citing objections to their licenses that largely focused around issues such as chronic violent crime, drug use (including overdoses) and liquor violations. While the council has reconsidered objections for some bars that have made arrangements for changes, The Doll House is not among them.
Fatal shooting at The Doll House is third at area bar in 2023
The shooting at The Doll House was the third fatal shooting at a bar in January in the Columbus area.
On New Year's Day, one man was killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a strip club in Mifflin Township. Earlier this month, Charles Foster, 24, of the Hilltop, was arrested earlier this month in connection with the death of Charles Westbrook, 28, who was fatally shot.
According to court records, Foster got into a fight around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 1 with a group of people inside Buck's Platinum, located at Johnstown and Stygler roads near John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Mifflin Township. Franklin County Sheriff's detectives have accused Foster of pulling out a firearm and shooting at the group, injuring five people.
Columbus police are also searching for a suspect in a bar shooting that claimed the life of 51-year-old Rudy Tirado-Gonzalez. Police say the suspect, Armando Flores, 25, of the Northeast Side, has been charged with murder after pulling out a gun and fatally shooting Tirado-Gonzalez during a fight between the two men.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Police charge Canton man with murder in Doll House strip club shooting
