Man killed in Northeast Side shooting; 14-year-old charged in separate stabbing

Cole Behrens, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
A 29-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of a Hilltop apartment complex.
A 29-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of a Hilltop apartment complex.

One was killed and another injured Saturday night in a Northeast side robbery-turned-shooting, police said in a release.

Police also announced overnight that they have identified a 14-year-old suspect in a fatal stabbing from earlier in June.

Fatal Northeast side shooting

Around 10:10 p.m., police responded to the 2000 block of Argyle Drive on a ShotSpotter alert, a release said. While the officers were responding, 911 received a report of two people shot at that location.

When they arrived, officers found Neal Smith, 24, and an unidentified 34-year-old female suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Smith was taken to Ohio State University East Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced deceased at 10:58 p.m., a release said. The unidentified female was transported to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in stable condition.

Police said they believe Smith was being robbed and that female victim, who was in the area, was an unintended victim.

Columbus homicide tracker: Find out where homicides have occurred in Columbus

The shooting is under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this incident, is asked to call Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).  This is the 61st homicide in Columbus in 2022.

Stabbing suspect identified

Police announced Sunday morning that they have identified Ti Juan Almanzar, 14, as the suspect in a fatal stabbing that occurred on June 14.

Police have filed juvenile charges of voluntary manslaughter against Almanzar, who they say was responsible for the death of fellow 14-year-old Martaires Taylor. Almanzar turned himself in to police headquarters, police said.

Around 11 p.m. on June 14, Columbus police were called to Ogden Avenue in the Hilltop neighborhood on a report of a stabbing.

Police previously said it appeared that Taylor was involved in an "ongoing dispute" with a group of juveniles and was confronting one or more individuals when the stabbing occurred.

Taylor was rushed to Nationwide Children's Hospital in critical condition, but police said he died from his injuries at 12:10 a.m. on June 15.

Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at CBehrens@dispatch.com

or find him on Twitter at @Colebehr_report

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus homicide was robbery turned shooting, police say