Former Ross County fugitive to serve 10 years for Columbus TopGolf shooting
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man with a myriad of criminal offenses in Ross County has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after firing a gun in a crowded parking lot at a Columbus golf entertainment venue.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Ohio, Davon Rayford, 28, of Columbus, will serve the next 10 years in prison for gun and drug crimes after two incidents, including a shooting at the TopGolf business near Polaris in February 2023.
Court documents state that Rayford went to TopGolf with several other individuals before an altercation occurred with those he was golfing with. Rayford then went to his car to retrieve a Glock 9mm pistol and began firing at the other individuals in their car before fleeing the scene.
Police reported that there were several other people in the parking lot at the time of the shooting. A special duty officer was at the scene and collected shell casings. Rayford was also captured on video surveillance footage for identification purposes.
The following day Rayford was involved in a car crash while intoxicated. Police said he attempted to leave the scene and while being detained, officers discovered methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, Xanax, the Glock pistol and approximately $5,000 in cash in the vehicle.
The crime lab concluded the pistol matched the one used in the shooting at TopGolf.
Rayford was charged and arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty in 2024 on charges of drug possession with the intent to distribute, gun possession in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The court ordered Rayford to serve his federal sentence consecutive to his current state sentence with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, which is due to end in August 2026.
He previously was sentenced to two years in prison after running out of Ross County Court of Common Pleas in Oct. 2022.
Rayford had several warrants for his arrest out of Ross County, including multiple traffic offenses in 2020 such as driving under the influence and a hit-skip offense. He was considered a fugitive from justice in June 2021 and was charged in May 2022 for aggravated drug possession and driving under the influence.
During his escape from the Ross County court room, Rayford injured a sheriff’s deputy.