A 60-year-old Columbus woman is dead after her son accidentally shot himself and a bullet then struck her at a north side motel early Sunday. Marlena Donna Hicks died at Grant Medical Center while her son, 38-year-old William David Smith II, survived and now faces a criminal charge in her death.
Gunfire Call Brought Officers to Zumstein Drive
Columbus Police were dispatched around 1:30 a.m. Sunday to the Double Ten Hotel in the 6100 block of Zumstein Drive after reports of gunfire, according to Pique Media. Officers arrived to find two adults suffering from gunshot wounds, according to WSYX. Court filings in Franklin County Municipal Court identified the pair as mother and son, according to a report shared by Latinos Unidos en Columbus.
Pique Media reported that a Columbus Police sergeant at the scene told 10TV that Smith accidentally shot himself while handling the firearm, and a bullet then struck and fatally wounded his mother. Columbus Division of Fire medics rushed Hicks to Grant Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 2:33 a.m., while Smith was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital in stable condition, the Latinos Unidos en Columbus account noted. WSYX reported that Smith is expected to survive his injuries and that Hicks' next of kin have been notified.
Reckless Homicide Charge Filed, Booking Pending Release
Columbus Police filed a reckless homicide charge against Smith, with booking scheduled at the Franklin County Jail once he is discharged from Riverside Methodist Hospital, per the account from Latinos Unidos en Columbus. The charge followed a preliminary determination that the firearm had been handled in an extremely unsafe manner, the outlet reported.
Ohio law gives prosecutors a range of options depending on how Smith's handling of the weapon is characterized. Under Ohio Revised Code, reckless homicide is a third-degree felony carrying one to five years in prison, while negligent homicide involving a deadly weapon is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail, according to the Ohio Revised Code. Smith faces a reckless homicide charge, a third-degree felony.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Columbus
The shooting adds to a troubling thread in Columbus crime data. Domestic and intra-family violence accounted for roughly 37% of all homicides in the city during 2025, according to Columbus Division of Police data reported by 10TV. Local officials have noted that domestic and family violence remain an exception to the city's broader drop in violent crime, the station reported.
That broader drop has been significant: Columbus recorded 55 homicides through September 1, 2026, a sharp decline from nearly 150 by the same date during the city's record peak in 2021, according to WOSU Public Media. Total annual homicides in the city fell to 81 in 2025, reaching a 16-year low, per the same report. Days before the Zumstein Drive shooting, police in nearby Obetz charged a teenager with reckless assault after an accidental firearm discharge wounded a child under eight, underscoring how accidental shootings continue to surface even as overall violence declines.
