COLUMBUS, Ohio — It has been a summer of mourning for two families after their loved ones were shot and killed while working security at a nightclub in downtown Columbus.
Desmond Taylor, 27, and Ceilin Smith, 36, were both killed outside Aura nightclub, formerly known as Avalon. Two others were shot and survived.
The suspect, 26-year-old Jaquez Hoover, had been running from authorities since a warrant had been issued for his arrest after the June shooting.
Authorities said Hoover was identified based on surveillance video. The Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team arrested Hoover in southeast Columbus on Thursday morning.
It was news the families of the victims had been waiting for.
“I feel better today,” said Latrice Bradley, Taylor’s mother.
Taylor was her eldest son. He had moved to Columbus from Indiana and was passionate about his job as a security guard.
“I am just beyond happy right now just to know that he is off the streets, that he is off the street and he can’t hurt anyone else because he has no regard for life,” she said.
Smith was a father to eight children who remember him as their “hero”.
“He was a very happy person. He loved and cared for the people around him and would do anything for them,” said his 17-year-old daughter, Jalyne.
His youngest child was born just before his death.
The families of both men plan to be in court to face Hoover.
“I hope he accepts what he has done and takes his punishment because the people he killed are not here and there’s nothing nobody can do to bring them back. So accept what you have done and go serve out your time because you get to live, he gets to live,” Bradley said.
“It is not about seeking revenge, but for you to realize what you have done to a family,” Jalyne said.
The city is in the process of shutting down the nightclub.