One person is fighting for life after gunfire broke out on the east side of Columbus early Thursday morning, according to police. Officers and medics responded to reports of shots fired and took the victim to a nearby hospital, where they remain in critical condition. Detectives stayed at the scene collecting evidence and looking for witnesses.
Police response
Columbus Division of Police officers were dispatched after reports of gunfire, and medics rushed the victim to Mount Carmel East in critical condition, according to 10TV. The station’s report, updated early Thursday, said investigators processed the scene and had not released suspect information as of the initial coverage.
Where the victim was treated
Mount Carmel East, the hospital responders named, is a Level II trauma center on the city’s east side that handles high-acuity emergency cases, according to Mount Carmel Health. Hospital representatives had not disclosed further details about the patient to media outlets as of Thursday morning.
A troubling pattern on the east side
This report comes amid multiple east-side shootings earlier this month. Hoodline previously detailed the East Broad Street gunfire and a gas-station shooting, both of which left victims critically wounded and drew detectives back to the same neighborhoods. Those earlier incidents underscore the need for any witnesses or drivers with dash-cam footage to get in touch with investigators.
How to help investigators
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Columbus Division of Police or submit an anonymous tip to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477). For non-emergencies the Columbus Division of Police lists its contact line as (614) 645-4545; call 911 to report a crime in progress. For more on submitting tips and video, see Central Ohio Crime Stoppers and the Columbus Division of Police.
