COLUMBUS, Ohio — Our CrimeTracker 10 team is tracking five shootings near five different bars in Columbus in just over the past two months.
Police say a 40-year-old man was shot Saturday night just before midnight. According to reports, many of these shootings are spilling out into parking lots late at night.
The latest shooting death happening Saturday night after 40-year-old Jeffery Chandler got into an argument with several other men at the Platform Lounge on Country Club Road.
The group moved outside and then there were gunshots. Chandler died shortly after midnight. Police have not given any information about a suspect.
“I hear from the mothers, I hear their tears, and mostly mothers, 97% of the folks I call are mothers, they are tired, they are sad, what they’re looking for that hope for their children,” said Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin.
There have been four other shootings since August at clubs across the city:
- Sept. 28: Doll House Club - Five injured
- Sept. 25: Queen of Hearts Pub - Teenage girl, woman killed
- Sept. 25: Motorcycle club - Man killed, three injured
- Aug. 13: XO Nightclub - Man killed
“We try to teach people to be aware of their situation, very seldom does somebody just stand up and pull up a gun. Usually in a bar-type setting, there might’ve been some kind of altercation,” said Gary Sigrist, Jr., CEO, Safeguard Risk Solutions.
Sigrist says a key to staying safe is staying aware and staying in control.
“It’s ok to get the proverbial ‘buzz on,’ but when you are no longer in control of your rational thought process by the alcohol, because you’ve been affected by the alcohol, then you may say things you normally wouldn’t say, do you things you normally wouldn’t do,” said Sigrist.
For city leaders, like City Council President Shannon Hardin, the solution to this is multifaceted.
“I think you need to invest in youth safety programs, youth job programs, I think we have to make sure that there is safety funding, make sure that we have more police out there,” President Hardin said.
CrimeTracker 10 tracked the crime at the Platform Lounge, Columbus Police say they've been called there 16 times since the beginning of 2020.
