Six years have passed since 15-year-old Dawaun Lewis-Taylor was shot in the Forest Park neighborhood, and the killing remains unsolved. Officers found the teenager suffering from a gunshot wound in the 4800 block of Heatherton Drive near Northtowne Park on Sept. 29, 2020, and he was rushed to a hospital in critical condition before he died later that day.
According to FOX 8 News, a silver Chrysler 300 allegedly sped away east on Trent Road toward Northtowne Boulevard after the shooting, and police say they have received no new leads since. Columbus police, working with Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, are still asking anyone with information to come forward. The shooting happened just feet from an elementary school playground, according to WBNS 10TV.
Columbus officers responded to the shooting report at 3:08 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2020, and Clinton Township Medic 61 transported Lewis-Taylor to Grant Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, per records from the City of Columbus homicide cold case archive. FOX 8 News reports he was pronounced dead at 4 p.m. that day, and both accounts agree the teenager did not survive the shooting.
A Deadly Year for Columbus Teens
Lewis-Taylor's death came during one of the deadliest stretches in the city's history. The city later set a homicide record in 2021.
The picture in Columbus looks markedly different now. By mid-2026, annual homicides in the city had dropped significantly, tracking toward under 100 for the year, while the Columbus Division of Police achieved a homicide solve rate exceeding 80%, according to WOSU. That clearance rate makes Lewis-Taylor's case an outlier against the department's recent record.
What It Would Take to Reopen the Case
Public tips remain a way to provide information about the six-year-old investigation.
The Ohio Attorney General's Office invites tips in coordination with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and local police, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest or indictment in the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.stopcrime.org.
