A Franklin County grand jury on Friday, June 5, 2026, indicted 31-year-old Samuel A. Lovejoy on a slate of felony charges, including aggravated murder, in the early-morning shooting that killed 48-year-old Maceo Ve-Aundreas Burton on Columbus’s East Side. The case stems from a May 11 incident at a gas station on East Livingston Avenue that police say began as a robbery attempt. Prosecutors are now preparing the case for court while detectives continue to look for additional witnesses.
Grand jury charges handed down
The indictment returned June 5 charges Lovejoy with aggravated murder, murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault, and possessing weapons while under disability, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The Dispatch reports that the grand jury acted after homicide detectives presented surveillance footage and other evidence. These counts build on the single murder charge that police initially filed in May.
How police say it unfolded
Columbus Division of Police investigators say officers were called to the 3800 block of East Livingston Avenue on May 11, where they found Burton suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was taken to Grant Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly afterward, according to the department’s homicide update. The police press release identifies Samuel A. Lovejoy as a suspect and notes that detectives obtained surveillance video of the shooting. Earlier reporting connected the scene to the Eagle Fuels gas station at 3851 E. Livingston Ave., where investigators and neighbors focused their canvassing efforts.
Investigation and arrest details
Homicide detectives told prosecutors they recovered video that appears to show two males robbing Burton when the shooting occurred and that they traced a vehicle believed to be tied to the scene, as detailed by The Columbus Dispatch. The Dispatch also reports that cell-phone records placed Lovejoy in the immediate area at the time of the killing and that investigators tried to reach him through family members before taking him into custody. Officials say Lovejoy was already barred from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction, which forms the basis of the weapons-under-disability charge.
Legal implications
Aggravated murder is defined under Ohio law in Ohio Revised Code §2903.01, and possessing weapons while under disability is set out in Ohio Revised Code §2923.13. Both are felony offenses that can result in lengthy prison sentences if proved at trial, and prosecutors may add firearm specifications depending on what the evidence supports. An indictment is a formal accusation, not a finding of guilt, and defense attorneys will have opportunities to challenge both the evidence and the procedures as the case moves forward.
What’s next
Lovejoy is being held at the Franklin County Jail and will continue through the court process following the indictment, according to a Columbus Division of Police press release. Detectives are asking anyone with information or relevant video to contact Detective Polgar at (614) 645-4196 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477), as outlined in the police update. Authorities say they plan to release more details as the case proceeds through the courts.
