The cross-country search for a man wanted in a deadly North Linden road-rage shooting ended this week on a Meriden street corner, where officers say he tried to run but did not get far. The suspect, accused of killing a 22-year-old woman in Columbus in November, was arrested Tuesday in Meriden, Connecticut, after a brief foot chase. Police say he was carrying a handgun and suspected narcotics and is now being held on a $4 million bond while Ohio authorities prepare to bring him back. Columbus police had been looking for him on a murder warrant since December.
Arrest in Meriden
Members of Meriden’s Crime Suppression Unit spotted a man matching the description of the Ohio fugitive near Pratt and Mill streets and moved in to stop him, Meriden police told Record-Journal. Officers say the man, identified as 23-year-old Khaliq Hunt of Greensboro, North Carolina, bolted on foot but was caught after a short chase. Investigators reported that Hunt tried to toss away narcotics during the pursuit and that he had a 9 mm pistol on him when he was taken into custody.
According to the outlet, Meriden authorities charged Hunt locally with being a fugitive from justice, carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of narcotics, interfering with an officer and crossing an intersection diagonally while not in a crosswalk.
Columbus case background
In a news release from the Columbus Division of Police, investigators said they secured an arrest warrant on Dec. 15, charging Hunt with murder in the death of Hannah Taylor. Taylor, 22, was shot before a single-vehicle crash on the 800 block of East Hudson Street on Nov. 2, 2025, according to the release.
Detectives said they used security hardware and digital analysis to track down an eyewitness, whose interview helped them zero in on a suspect. Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene, while a passenger in her vehicle was taken to a local hospital, the department reported.
Charges and custody in Connecticut
Meriden police Lt. Darrin McKay told the Record-Journal that Hunt is being held on a $4 million bond and is expected to be extradited to Columbus to face the murder charge.
In a statement published by the outlet, the Meriden Police Department said, “We are proud of the professionalism and teamwork displayed by the members involved in this arrest.” Local records also showed that the pistol permit Hunt carried was not valid, the report noted.
What's next
Columbus detectives say they plan to seek Hunt’s extradition and continue building the case using video footage and witness accounts. The city has asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact its Homicide Unit, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
For additional background, Hunt was named as a suspect in December after investigators said digital analysis supported an eyewitness account tying him to the North Linden road-rage killing.
