Dereon Williams was found with a gunshot wound near Rosebriar Lane and Rabbit Hill Lane on the evening of Nov. 11. He died a few hours later at Grant Medical Center, and a 21-year-old is in custody facing a murder charge.
Fox 28 reported that Columbus police officers responded to the Southeast Columbus shooting around 6:29 p.m. Officers found Williams suffering from the wound and rushed him to Grant Medical Center in critical condition.
What Investigators Say They Have
Court records show Williams was shot in the head, Fox 28 reported. Detectives recovered surveillance video of a black Kia SUV arriving at the apartment complex where the shooting occurred and backing into a nearby parking spot.
Investigators said Julius Cherry was interviewed and confirmed he was present and driving the vehicle immediately before and after the shooting. Police also said Cherry admitted to being at the scene during the homicide.
A Charge, With the Rest Still Open
Cherry, 21, is in custody and facing a murder charge. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
That leaves a narrow public account: a fatal head wound, a vehicle on video, and statements police attribute to the man now charged. It does not establish what led to the shooting.
Earlier Counts, Not This Case
Citywide figures published earlier this year are snapshots, not a current total, and they do not classify this shooting. As of WOSU Public Media's July 1 reporting, Columbus police had investigated 35 homicides in 2026, compared with 40 at the same point in 2025. WOSU reported that 2025 ended with just over 80 homicides, the first time in more than a decade the city stayed below 100, and that homicides had dropped by more than half since a record number in 2021.
Police data cited in that July report said more than half of the year's homicide cases involved domestic violence or an argument, that 25 victims had been shot, and that police had solved more than 80% of that year's homicide cases plus 10 from previous years.
ABC 6 later reported a different measure: at least 50 homicide victims in 2026, compared with 46 at the same point in 2025. According to CPD data cited by the station, July was the year's deadliest month so far, with 14 homicides. Malissa Thomas St. Clair told ABC 6 that the age range with the most homicide suspects that year was 18 through 21. Cherry is 21. That is not a finding about this case.
Williams died from his injuries a few hours after officers found him. Cherry remains in custody on the murder charge while investigators say the circumstances are still open.
