16-year-old homicide suspect hospitalized following shooting

OHIO — A 16-year-old homicide suspect is recovering in the hospital after being shot by Columbus police during an arrest on Wednesday, November 20.

The teen is accused of fatally shooting 39-year-old Alejandro Lopez-Lechuga outside an apartment complex on Jester Lane earlier that day.

According to police, witnesses reported the teen attempting to break into vehicles in the apartment parking lot when Lopez-Lechuga intervened, leading to the fatal shooting.

Homicide detectives used video evidence to identify the suspect and the vehicle seen fleeing the scene.

Columbus Police and SWAT officers located the teen at his residence and began surveillance.

When he left in the same vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting, officers followed him to the 6000 block of Cooper Colony Drive.

Police say the situation escalated when officers attempted a traffic stop. The teen reportedly exited the passenger side of the car holding a rifle and fled on foot.

Body camera footage shows officers repeatedly ordering the suspect to drop his weapon. The footage then captures an officer firing two shots as the teen ran past, causing him to drop the rifle.

Additional gunshots were heard as the suspect continued to flee before collapsing.

Officers provided medical assistance after finding the teen had been shot at least twice, including in the chest and hip.

Tactical medics transported him to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where his condition was described as stable as of Friday, November 22.

The teen faces charges of murder and two counts of felonious assault for the Jester Lane incident.

Police indicated additional charges could stem from the events of Wednesday evening.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is reviewing the officer-involved shooting.