Alleged driver of getaway car in Short North mass shooting appears in court
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man police say is connected to a mass shooting in north Columbus over the weekend faced a judge Monday morning.
According to court documents, DeAngelo Fuller, 19, turned himself in on Sunday night after he allegedly led police on a high-speed chase following a mass shooting in which 10 people were injured in the Short North early Sunday morning.
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The shooting occurred near the 1200 block of North High Street where 10 people were shot, including two juveniles and eight adults. All the victims were male and between the ages of 16 and 27 years old. One of the victims was taken to a hospital in critical condition while the other nine were listed in stable condition.
Responding officers observed a possible suspect running away from the scene and getting into the passenger side of a white Honda Civic. Police attempted a traffic stop but the driver of the Honda refused to stop.
Columbus police in a Monday afternoon press conference asked residents to provide any information or tips they have by calling 614-645-3473 or contacting Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
The driver of the Honda led police on a high-speed chase that included driving 60 mph down the wrong way of a one-way street and speeds that nearly reached 110 mph on Interstate 670 West.
Officers were unable to keep up with the car, which evaded capture as it made its way to the Grandview Avenue exit on I-670, but later on Sunday, Fuller turned himself in at police headquarters and allegedly admitted to not stopping during the pursuit.
“Sometimes in real-life situations and real-time moments, the officers have to make a decision: do we continue to pursue a vehicle that can ultimately kill someone else or do we back away from that vehicle when we already have a plate and we can identify other ways,” Columbus Division of Police Assistant Chief LaShanna Potts said Monday.
Fuller, charged with obstructing official police business, faced a judge at an arraignment hearing Monday morning. He was issued a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court July 2 for a preliminary hearing.
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Potts said that at the time of the shooting, there were officers working special duty. She said clubs and bars have been one of their main focuses this summer.
“I would tell you, we had a lot of police officers in the Short North over the weekend,” she said. “The focus is that officers are exactly where we wanted to be. They were present. The issue is the brazen lack of accountability for our criminals. The fact that we had officers on almost every corner in the Short North at a time where the clubs are closing, people still decided to shoot at each other. And so as we look across, how can we strategically plan; sometimes we can’t out plan someone’s behavior, but we’re doing everything we can as a division.”
Police leadership said overall violent crime is down in the city but the one outliner they are seeing is an increase in mass shootings. Columbus Division of Police Deputy Chief Smith Weir said this is the 12th mass shooting in Columbus since the start of 2023.
The Short North shooting is the third of its kind in the neighborhood in a little over a year, including in May 2023 when 10 people were shot in two shooting incidents and 11 firearms were recovered by police.
On Sunday Columbus City Council issued a statement which read in part, “Angry and outraged to wake up to another senseless shooting…. We will continue to be vigilant this summer and consider additional safety measures as needed in the area across the city…. And we once gain ask state government and the courts to stop blocking common-sense gun control policies and allowing guns to pour into our streets.”
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