A South Columbus dispute that turned deadly on Reinhard Avenue in 2024 has now ended in a prison term. On Tuesday, 21-year-old Lawuan Williams of Columbus was sentenced to six to 7.5 years behind bars, plus 18 months to three years of post-release control, for his role in a May 2, 2024, shooting that left 20-year-old Najaa Ellman dead. Williams accepted the sentence after entering a plea in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. The confrontation on the 700 block of Reinhard Avenue started as an argument that allegedly escalated into gunfire.
Williams pleaded guilty last Monday to one count of felonious assault with a three-year firearm specification and was sentenced on March 10, according to NBC4. The station reports that the plea agreement carried a prison term of six to 7.5 years and included the post-release control period imposed by the judge, closing out the criminal case tied to the May 2024 shooting.
When the case first unfolded, the Columbus Division of Police charged Williams with murder after officers arrived on the 700 block of Reinhard Avenue and found Ellman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to a department media release. That release states that Williams fled in a gray 2020 Nissan Altima. Officers later recovered the car near East Livingston Avenue and Kenilworth Place, and investigators say Williams surrendered after hiding in a nearby residence, per the police statement available from Columbus Division of Police. Detectives at the time urged anyone with information to contact the homicide unit.
Legal details
The plea deal centers on the felonious assault charge, with a three-year firearm specification folded into the agreement, as reported by NBC4. That specification is part of the overall term the judge imposed. With Williams having entered the plea, the original murder charge will not proceed to trial.
Next steps and tips
Williams will serve his prison term under the court’s order, then move to the post-release supervision period set at sentencing. The Columbus Division of Police has asked anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Westfall at (614) 645-4221 or [email protected], according to the department’s media release. Franklin County Common Pleas Court records will formally document the plea and the sentence in the case.
