COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge set a $500,000 bond for a man accused of killing another man in the Short North Arts District early Wednesday morning.
Jeremy Vest, 47, was arraigned on
Officers with the Columbus Division of Police found the victim, 51-year-old Nicholas Evans, in an alleyway behind the United Dairy Farmers convenience store on the 800 block of North High Street around 1:40 a.m.
According to court records, video evidence showed Evans leaving the store and walking south in the alley.
Evans then walked to an area where he stored his bike. According to police, Vest and another person were also nearby.
As Evans retrieved his bike, there was an altercation between the three parties when Vest pulled out a firearm and shot Evans.
Evans attempted to go back into the store where he collapsed in front of the rear doors. People inside the store called police.
He was pronounced dead at 1:55 a.m. This is the 76th homicide in Columbus this year.
Later in the morning, police released a photo of a person they described as a suspect.
In an update, police said the suspect, identified as 47-year-old Jeremy Vest, was located in the 1300 block of North High Street, a few blocks away from the shooting scene. Vest was taken into custody by the Franklin County SWAT Unit and placed under arrested. He remains in custody.
Vest appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court Commons Pleas Court on Monday where his bond was dropped from $1 million to $500,000.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).