A 19-year-old Columbus man died early Thursday after walking into a Westerville hospital with a gunshot wound, setting off a homicide investigation that has left police searching for both a shooter and a motive. Thai Del Ray Hiatt arrived at Mount Carmel St. Ann's Hospital suffering from the wound and was later transferred to Mount Carmel East, where he died.
Columbus police determined the shooting happened at approximately 1:40 a.m. near Karl Road and Red Robin Road in North Columbus, according to 10TV WBNS. That detail fills in a gap left by initial reporting, which had focused on the hospital walk-in rather than the original crime scene. Columbus Division of Police officers responded to St. Ann's just before 2 a.m. Thursday after reports of a walk-in shooting victim, according to WSYX.
Homicide detectives are now investigating the shooting, and police have said the motive behind the gunfire remains unknown, per the same account. It's also unclear how Hiatt made his way from the North Columbus shooting scene to the hospital in Westerville, a detail that has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Why the Transfer Between Mount Carmel Hospitals
Hiatt's transfer from St. Ann's to Mount Carmel East reflects a distinction in what the two facilities are built to handle. Mount Carmel East operates a Level II Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons to provide 24/7 comprehensive emergency care, according to Mount Carmel Health System, while St. Ann's in Westerville functions primarily as a community emergency department. Mount Carmel Health System, which runs both hospitals, is the second-largest healthcare provider in Central Ohio and part of Trinity Health, the nation's fifth-largest health system, according to HSG Medical.
The rapid police response at St. Ann's was not incidental. Under Ohio Revised Code ยง 2921.22, healthcare professionals who treat or observe gunshot or stab wounds are statutorily required to immediately report them to law enforcement, according to the Ohio General Assembly. That mandate is what triggered officers being dispatched to the hospital within minutes of Hiatt's arrival.
A Rising Homicide Count in Columbus
Hiatt's death adds to a homicide count that had already outpaced last year's pace by late July, when Columbus police had recorded 50 homicides for 2026, compared with 46 over the same stretch in 2025, according to WSYX. That uptick follows a year in which Columbus logged 84 homicides total in 2025, according to All Columbus Data.
St. Ann's has drawn police attention before under far different circumstances. In April 2021, a suspect named Miles Jackson produced a concealed gun inside the emergency department there, leading to an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, according to CBS News. Mount Carmel East has also served as a landing point for other recent violence in the region; Hoodline reported last month that a shooting victim was rushed to the trauma center following a separate violent confrontation.
How to Help the Investigation
Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730. Tipsters can also reach Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, which serves Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties and offers cash rewards for information leading to arrests or indictments in homicide cases, according to CAP4Kids, at 614-461-8477. No arrests had been announced as of Thursday, and the circumstances that led to the shooting near Karl and Red Robin roads remain under investigation.
