COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Franklin County grand jury indicted a man suspected of hitting and killing a 4-year-old boy with a stolen vehicle at an apartment complex in the Franklinton neighborhood.
Tyrell Shute, 24, was indicted on five different charges, including one count of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of fleeing the police, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.
On July 22, Columbus police said officers attempted to pull over a stolen Kia, driven by Shute, on Greenfield Drive near the Southpark Apartments.
Court records state that Shute fled the traffic stop and drove recklessly through the complex.
Shute reportedly drove over the curb at the north end of a parking lot and onto a grassy area in the 700 block of Canonby Place. Columbus police told 10TV that a woman was outside with her 4-year-old boy when the Kia struck her child.
The child was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he later died.
Police said Shute left the vehicle and ran from the scene before officers arrived. He was taken into custody the next day.
When Shute appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court, prosecutors requested that Shute be held on a $1 million bond; the judge set a $250,000 bond.
Prosecutors say Shute could be facing additional charges related to the incident.
Shute was previously arrested in May 2017 and he pleaded guilty to improper handling of a firearm.
He is also a registered sex offender. According to the Crawford County prosecutor, in 2020 Shute was sentenced to 18 months in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Shute was 22 at the time.
Shute served two months of that sentence, then was given a judicial release. He was also charged with failure to register as a sex offender in Crawford County.
Shute’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 2. He could face a prison sentence of more than 15 years if he is convicted on all charges.