Suspect arrested in North Linden homicide also charged in separate alleged carjacking

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – An arrest was made this week after a fatal shooting in June and an alleged car-jacking in May, both occurring in northeast Columbus.

According to an update from the Columbus Division of Police, a SWAT unit executed a search warrant and arrested 33-year-old Toreal Crawford, who is charged in the murder of Jayvon Gore and a separate alleged carjacking, both occurring within a mile of each other.

Gore was shot and killed on June 18 at 1:04 a.m. after reports of a shooting were received from an after-hours establishment in the 1400 block of Oakland Park Avenue, near the E.Z. Oakland Park Plaza. Officers found Gore suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at an area hospital at 1:41 a.m.

While police said several individuals exchanged gunfire in the parking lot of the alleged incident, with many reported witnesses fleeing the scene, multiple tips phoned in later provided police with a person of interest in the shooting.

On June 27, detectives interviewed a witness to the shooting who positively identified Crawford as the shooter.

Crawford, who is named as a suspect in a carjacking one month prior to the shooting, was arrested on Wednesday on one count of murder and is being detained at Franklin County Jail

Additionally, Crawford, who also had a warrant issued for his arrest in late May, is facing aggravated robbery charges, stemming from reports that a driver for Lyft and Door Dash was accosted at the Marathon gas station in the 2700 block of Cleveland Avenue.

Court documents state that on May 15 at 7:41 p.m. a man said he was approached by two others who brandished firearms at the gas station. The victim got into the back seat of his vehicle one of the suspects got into the front seat, the other into the black sedan the two suspects arrived in.

The victim told police they drove around for hours and that his life was threatened after he was dropped off at his residence in the North Hilltop section of west Columbus.

Detectives collected evidence from the vehicle, including fingerprints that police said matched those of Crawford, who was also picked out of a photo array by the carjacking victim.

Crawford is scheduled to appear in Franklin County Municipal Court for a pair of arraignment hearings in both cases on Thursday.