COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities arrested a suspect in the deadly shooting of an 18-year-old woman at a northeast Columbus graduation party on Sunday.
According to the Columbus Division of Police, 20-year-old Kenneth Hairston was taken into custody on Monday.
Officers were called to the 2600 block of Woodsedge Road, just off Westerville Road, after midnight on Sunday on reports of a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found Da’Mya Cummerlander suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later.
Franklin County Municipal Court records say detectives interviewed a witness who was at the residence at the time of the shooting. The witness said he was hanging out with Cummerlander, Hairston and four other people when he heard a gunshot go off. He claimed he saw Hairston holding the gun.
On Monday, Hairston appeared at Columbus police headquarters with an attorney. Hairston claimed, according to court records, that he was hanging out with Cummerlander and four other people. At one point, a person handed him a Glock pistol. Hairston says he didn't want the gun and when he tried to hand it back, the person smacked his hand. As a result, the gun was fired, fatally striking Cummerlander.
In the court documents, Hairston also claimed that everyone was drinking and smoking marijuana except for him. He added that other people were playing with guns, but he "encouraged them to put the guns away."
Hairston is in custody at the Franklin County jail and he is charged with involuntary manslaughter and having weapons under disability. He is being held on a $500,00 bond.
Friends and family held a vigil Monday evening at Krumm Park for Cummerlander. Just before 10 p.m., police responded to report of shots fired at the same park and found two people fatally shot near the entrance. Investigators believe there were multiple shooters.
It's unclear if Monday night's shooting is connected to the vigil.
Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.
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