COLUMBUS, Ohio — The mother whose 23-year-old son was shot and killed at a south Columbus apartment complex earlier this week advocated that the accused killers be punished for their crime.
Two brothers — 18-year-old Michael Twitty and 26-year-old Jachin Perry Jr. — appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court on Wednesday to be arraigned. They are charged in connection with the shooting death of Raqwan Ogelsby. Perry is accused of seriously injuring another man, who the mother says was her second son.
The mother sat through the arraignments fighting to hold back tears as a judge read off the suspects’ charges. The judge allowed her to first speak during Perry’s arraignment.
“I don’t ever want these monsters back out. They changed my life,” she said. “They don’t deserve to breathe the air that I breathe or anybody in this world.”
The mother spoke again during Twitty’s arraignment.
“This is the worst thing to ever happen in my life and he and his brother are the cause of it. I hope the rest of your life is a living hell. You and your brother,” the mother said.
Twitty and Perry Jr. were each given a $1 million bond and are being held in the Franklin County Correctional Center.
What we know about the shooting
The shooting happened on Buffalo Court, just west of Obetz, near the Indian Meadows Apartments.
Records from Franklin County Municipal Court say detectives interviewed the injured man at Grant Medical Center. He told detectives that he and Ogelsby went to confront Perry at his home on Buffalo Court after hearing that he had assaulted a woman earlier that day.
The man and Ogelsby arrived at Perry’s home and were greeted by a woman. The man asked Perry to “come outside and fight.”
Court records say Perry reached over the woman and shot the man and Ogelsby. Witnesses told police that Perry and his brother, 18-year-old Michael Twitty ran from the scene.
Officers found the brothers cutting through the woods to the Hannah Neal Center for Children parking lot at 301 Obetz Rd. and placed them into custody.
After he was taken to Columbus police headquarters, court records say Perry claimed that he was not at the shooting and was playing basketball in the back of the apartment complex. He admitted to assaulting a woman earlier in the day and had a gun in his person.
Twitty told detectives that he was present at the shooting and admitted to having a firearm on his person. He said he did not shoot, but court records say a .380 Ruger shell casing was found inside the front door area of the apartment unit.