Columbus police at stalemate in 9-year-old drive-by homicide of 14-year-old boy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Nine years after a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed while playing dice on the East Side, police remain without leads despite 50 possible witnesses to the crime.

The shooting occurred on May 9, 2016, when officers responded to home near the 800 block of South Weyant Avenue, near East Main Street in Eastmoor. Police located Armani Anderson, 14, who was shot in the torso and taken to Grant Medical Center in critical condition. For a previous report on this story view the video player above.

Anderson, who died just before 6 p.m. that evening, was among a group of individuals playing dice when the drive-by shooting occurred at around 5:15 p.m. Police said that’s when a dark colored vehicle drove through an alley and an individual began firing shots out of the window.

A 21-year-old man, now 30, was also shot in the leg, but there were no other injuries reported. Detectives said about 50 people were present when the shooting took place, but no one has come forward with any information.

David Jones-Anderson, Anderson’s father, told NBC4 days after the shooting that he didn’t know his son was in Columbus that evening but said Armani wasn’t running with a rough crowd or getting into trouble.

“Everybody loved him. Like, goofy kid, liked to joke. Just a kid. If anything, they murdered a baby, for real,” Jones-Anderson said. “He died for something that wasn’t meant for him. Like, he wasn’t supposed to be over there. I don’t know who he was with, but I know he wasn’t supposed to be there.”

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for any information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the person(s) responsible for this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call 614-461-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrime.org and submit your tip.