COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 16-year-old homicide suspect was injured Wednesday afternoon in a shooting involving officers at an apartment complex on the northeast side, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
The teenage boy is accused of fatally shooting 39-year-old Alejandro Lopez-Lechuga outside another apartment complex early Wednesday morning. Witnesses at the scene said the teen was attempting to break into vehicles outside apartments on Jester Lane when Lopez-Lechuga intervened.
Sgt. Joe Albert said homicide detectives obtained video evidence that led them to identify the 16-year-old boy as a suspect in the fatal shooting. Albert said the teen is being charged with murder.
Detectives requested that plain-clothes officers and SWAT set up surveillance on the suspect's address. The teen left the residence in what police believe is the same vehicle seen at the shooting on Jester Lane.
Officers followed the vehicle to the 6000 block of Cooper Colony Drive. Albert said an officer attempted to pull over the vehicle around 3:15 p.m.
The suspect reportedly got out of the passenger side with a rifle in his hand and started running down a sidewalk. At least one officer fired their weapon and struck the suspect, according to Albert. Medics took the suspect to Riverside Methodist Hospital and his condition is described as life-threatening, but stable.
Albert said the rifle was recovered from the scene. The suspect will likely face charges out of Wednesday evening's incident.
"The victim from last night's incident came out and confronted him and immediately got shot with a rifle. That is a risk to our public safety to have this 16-year-old on the street," Albert said.
The driver of the vehicle is being questioned by police to determine how they are related to the suspect.
Albert said they are not searching for any other suspects in the Jester Lane shooting.
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