Man killed by Columbus police Wednesday had complicated history with law enforcement
The 29-year-old man who was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with Columbus police on Wednesday had a complicated past with the law.
Austin Paige Huntzinger, whose last known address was in the Schumacher Place neighborhood, died at 7:21 a.m. Wednesday at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center.
Columbus police released Huntzinger's name Thursday morning, along with few details about two officers involved in the shooting: One is a 15-year veteran of the Columbus Division of Police, and the other is a 12-year veteran of the department. Police are not releasing the officers' names, citing Marsy's Law, which protects crime victims.
When contacted Thursday morning by The Dispatch, Huntzinger's mother declined a request to speak with a reporter about her son.
Police said they received a call around 6:50 a.m. Wednesday about a possible robbery at 45 Great Southern Blvd. When officers arrived, Huntzinger reportedly fired at officers, hitting one in the leg. At least one officer returned fire, hitting Huntzinger.
The officer that was hit is expected to make a full recovery.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State's website, Huntzinger registered a computer repair business in his name in October 2021. Beech Computer Repair, according to postings on Huntzinger's social media account, indicated he repaired phones, computers and other electronics.
Huntzinger also has a young daughter.
Huntzinger created the business while he was on community control after being convicted of in 2020 of felonious assault in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, according to court records.
Court records indicate Huntzinger was sentenced to three years of community control, often called probation, and finished the probation successfully a year early. A judge signed off on his early release from supervision in March 2022, saying Huntzinger had "adjusted satisfactorily," according to court records.
Between 2019, when the domestic dispute took place that led to his felony charges, and early 2023, Huntzinger did not have any apparent run-ins with the law. He did file several police reports, according to Columbus police's online records, after he reported he received threatening messages on social media.
However, at the time of his death, Huntzinger had open warrants from Franklin County Municipal Court for misdemeanor charges of fleeing police and obstructing official business, as well as driving under suspension and reckless operation from a June 29 traffic stop near Obetz Road and South High Street by Franklin County Sheriff's deputies, according to court records.
Huntzinger also had an open felony case in Knox County for having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony, that was related to a May 30 incident in Mount Vernon. He posted a $5,000 bond on June 7 and was released from the Knox County jail in that case.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police shooting: Man killed had complicated legal history
