Grandmother shot, killed in front of her daughter’s Columbus home while carrying in groceries

COLUMBUS — A grandmother was shot and killed on her daughter’s front steps in Columbus Thursday night.

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Columbus Police were dispatched to the 1900 block of Aberdeen Avenue at 7:55 p.m. on reports of a shooting, WBNS reported.

When officers arrived, they found a woman, later identified as Linda Johnson, 69, suffering from gunshot wounds. Responding medics transported her to Riverside Methodist Hospital for further treatment; however, she succumbed to her injuries and died at 8:22 p.m.

Detectives, who investigated the scene, stated that there were three other people who witnessed the shooting and were not struck by the gunfire.

Investigators were also able to obtain nearby security footage that showed rapid-fire shots “consistent with a weapon equipped with a Glock switch” coming from a white Honda Accord, WBNS said. Authorities believed that a person inside the vehicle fired shots as Johnson was carrying in groceries into her daughter’s house.

When the victim’s identity was released, community members reacted to the disheartening news.

“She’s like the mother of this block, of this community, of this neighborhood. To see this happen to her is devastating,” Bryan Winbrush, who lived across the street from Johnson’s daughter, said. “Everyone is affected by this because she touched everyone’s life on this block. She would take food and deliver it.”

“To just drive down the street and shoot. We have kids that play out here. Every child on this block plays in my yard,” Winbrush said.

“The whole block has you on camera. I hope they catch you. To do some cowardly stuff like that, that is just some low-life animalistic stuff,” Winbrush said.

Columbus Police led the investigation into the shooting.

Detectives requested help from the public in identifying the pictured vehicle believed to be used in the shooting. The vehicle is a 2018-2022 white Honda Accord.

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