COLUMBUS, Ohio — A distraught mother is mourning her 24-year-old daughter, killed in a shooting at a Columbus community center.
A heat wave on Wednesday sent lots of families to community centers for relief. But that night, three people were shot at one of those cooling centers.
Officers were called to the Glenwood Community Center in the Hilltop neighborhood just after 5 p.m. Witnesses said there was a fight before the shooting.
Officers found 24-year-old A'Tayia Nichols and an 18-year-old woman in a parking lot. They were able to locate a third shooting victim, a 15-year-old boy, by following a trail of blood.
A'Tayia was taken to Grant Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 5:54 p.m. The 18-year-old and 15-year-old are expected to survive their injuries.
A'Tayia's mother, LaTonya, tells 10TV that she was a volunteer cheerleading coach and the mother of a 2-year-old boy.
In response to the violence, the City of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department has announced that police will be on-site at the city pools as well as the temporary cooling centers.
They said the shooting does not impact summer programs.
"Our camps are safe. Our parks are safe. Our centers are safe. And so, from one mother to another, these camps are ideal for our children to have something to do in the summertime. It is safe to bring them here, "said Dominique Shank, community relations chief, for the Recreation and Parks Department.
The city will increase park patrols during pool hours.