A 27-year-old man is dead and his former roommate faces a murder charge after a phone call, a burst of gunfire on North Burgess Avenue, and a high-speed chase that stretched from Columbus’s Hilltop neighborhood into the woods outside Sugar Grove. Columbus police say Ryan Ward was shot multiple times Tuesday evening and was later found lying in the street, just steps from the home where investigators say he'd been asked to meet someone he trusted.
A Call Outside, Then Gunfire
According to an affidavit cited by WKEF, Ward received a phone call from David Estrada asking him to meet outside before the shooting occurred. Neighbors told investigators they heard gunfire moments after Ward stepped out, and one 911 caller reported hearing about seven shots ring out along the block. Dispatch records show Columbus officers responded to the first block of North Burgess Avenue at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, and emergency crews rushed Ward to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:16 p.m., according to the Columbus Division of Police.
Estrada, identified by police as the suspect in Ward's killing, fled the scene in a silver Honda Civic, according to WKEF's reporting. Officers pursued the car south along U.S. Route 33 into Fairfield County, where the Civic crashed on U.S. Route 33 near Sugar Grove, per the Scioto Post. Estrada was taken into custody on foot not far from the crash site, near the Fairfield-Hocking county line.
A Multi-County Manhunt
The chase and arrest required coordination among four separate agencies. The Scioto Post reports that the Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office and the Hocking County Sheriff's Office all took part in tracking Estrada across county lines before his capture. Estrada is now being held in the Franklin County Jail and is expected to appear in court Thursday.
If convicted, Estrada would face steep consequences under Ohio law. Sections 2903.02 and 2929.02 of the Ohio Revised Code set murder's penalty at an indefinite prison term of 15 years to life, with fines that can reach $15,000 — a tier below aggravated murder, which can carry life without parole.
Remembering Ryan Ward
Ward's loved ones are left grappling with the loss of a man they describe as full of promise. Elizabeth Phoung, a longtime friend speaking on behalf of Ward's partner Angelica, described him as optimistic and full of energy. Ward had dreams of becoming a father, friends said, and Angelica told loved ones he was “a beacon of light” whose loss was catastrophic to both his family and the community, according to WKEF's reporting. Phoung said she hopes the case brings answers and justice.
A Neighborhood Already on Edge
The killing lands in a Hilltop community already strained by gun violence. The 100 block of North Burgess Avenue itself has a violent history: in March 2024, a juvenile was critically injured in a daytime shooting on the same street, according to 10TV WBNS.
Citywide, Columbus is on pace for a second straight year with fewer than 100 homicides, with 35 homicides investigated in the first six months of 2026 compared to 40 at the same point in 2025, according to WOSU. Even so, the outlet reports that more than half of the city's homicide investigations in 2026 stemmed from domestic disputes or arguments between people who knew each other — a pattern that echoes the relationship between Ward and his accused former roommate.
City officials have been trying to respond to the persistent violence in West Side neighborhoods like the Hilltop. This month, the Columbus Division of Police expanded its specialized Non-Fatal Shooting Team program into Zone 3 to boost case clearance rates in the area, after a pilot version of the program in Zone 6 achieved a 94 percent case solve rate, 10TV WBNS reported.
