Three months after Aaron Williams Jr. was fatally shot at Marion-Franklin Park on Columbus' south side, his mother and sister say they still have no idea who killed him or why. No arrests have been made, and the 29-year-old father's family is pleading with the public for help cracking a case that has gone cold since July.
Williams was found shot in the park in July 2026 and died minutes after being discovered, according to his family, as reported by WSYX. Officers had responded to the park near the 2800 block of Lockbourne Road after an emergency call reported shots fired just before 9 a.m., according to abc6onyourside.com. Columbus police later confirmed the victim's identity, noting that “the next of kin has been notified for 29-year-old, Aaron Williams Jr.”
A Father, a Former Athlete, Remembered by Family
Williams was the father of a 5-year-old boy and had once been a star high school football player at Hamilton Township, the station's report notes. His mother, Tyra Lewis, described him as strong-minded, physically strong, and someone who was always willing to help others, and the family says he was active in his community.
“Aaron did not deserve what happened to him,” his sister, Aareona Williams, said. She and her mother say they have continued to seek answers about his killing in the months since, even as the case has stalled. Lewis said flatly that the family still has no answers about how or why the killing happened.
No Suspects Identified, Police Say
At the time investigators first released details, no suspects had been identified and no arrests had been made, per the same account. Homicide detectives were investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting, and police have said they are still searching for the gunman who killed Williams. When asked more recently what led to the shooting and whether any suspects had since been identified, Columbus police provided no update, the station reported.
Lewis urged anyone involved in her son's killing to turn themselves in. “I just want justice,” Aareona Williams said of the past few months without her brother, calling the stretch since July a nightmare. She said she intends to keep pushing until justice is served.
A Broader Pattern in Columbus Homicides
The case fits into a wider pattern detectives have flagged this year. As of July 1, Columbus police had investigated 35 homicides in 2026, down from 40 at the same point in 2025, according to wosu.org. The city closed out 2025 with just over 80 homicides, putting it on track to stay under triple digits again this year and continuing a decline of more than half from the record set in 2021, per that outlet. Of the cases logged by midyear, 25 victims had been shot, and police said more than half of this year's homicides involved domestic violence or an argument. CPD also reported solving more than 80% of its 2026 homicide cases, plus an additional 10 from previous years, as of that snapshot.
Williams' killing does not fit a domestic dispute or argument narrative laid out by that data, and his family says the motive behind the shooting remains a mystery to them. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers of Central Ohio at 614-461-TIPS.
