COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man suspected in the shooting death of a 28-year-old man in northeast Columbus earlier this month was taken into custody in Dayton after an hourslong standoff with law enforcement Thursday.
Officers with the Dayton Police Department arrested 32-year-old Sir Robert Martin-Sydnor, who is charged with murder when Raphael Jones was shot and killed on June 9.
Jones was found shot in the 1900 block of Denune Avenue in northeast Columbus. He was taken to Grant Medical Center by medics and was pronounced dead over an hour upon arrival.
Later that day, Columbus police filed a warrant for Martin-Sydnor’s arrest.
Detectives learned that prior to the shooting, Jones was arguing with Martin-Sydnor. During the argument, Martin-Sydnor pulled out a handgun and shot Jones.
Police said Martin-Sydnor was seen running from the shooting scene and may have been in possession of a backpack that belonged to Jones.
Martin-Sydnor was recently living in an operable vehicle parked close to where the argument and deadly shooting, detectives said.
WHIO-TV in Dayton reports that around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Dayton Police Department were informed by the Columbus Division of Police that a suspect out of a homicide case was inside an apartment on Catalpa Drive. Police confirmed that the suspect was Martin-Sydnor.
Dayton police said the suspect barricaded himself and a 73-year-old man inside the apartment.
“He was holding a 73-year-old male, who was a residence of the apartment, as a hostage inside and would not let that individual leave,” Dayton Police Major Christopher Malson told WHIO-TV. “[The suspect] barricaded the interior of the apartment to where that individual could not leave on this own.”
Montgomery County SWAT, Dayton SWAT, Ohio State Highway Patrol and U.S. Marshals were all called to the scene to help get the suspect out of the apartment safely.
Agencies communicated with the suspect through phone calls and social media.
Malson told WHIO-TV that Martin-Sydnor was communicating with law enforcement on Facebook Messenger and with others on Facebook Live.
WHIO-TV reports that Martin-Sydnor surrendered himself to law enforcement around 11:30 pm.
The 73-year-old man was let out of the apartment safely but had to receive medical treatment due to the stress of the situation, according to police.
Malson told WHIO-TV that Martin-Sydnor had connections to people who lived in the neighborhood but are not related to the suspect.
Martin-Sydnor is currently being held in Montgomery County Jail. Dayton police said he will have a hearing and likely be extradited to Columbus in the coming days.
Sydnor will also likely face charges in Dayton in connection to the standoff, Malson said. Those charges have not been filed as of Thursday morning.