Court records: Feud between former friends and classmates led to Roosters shooting on NE Side

Columbus police homicide detectives say a dispute between two former friends and classmates led to the deadly shooting last month at a Roosters restaurant on the city's Northeast Side.

Jesus Castro, 18, of South Linden, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of murder in connection with the Feb. 18 shooting death of 18-year-old Marshawn Davis, police said.

Previous coverage: 18-year-old man shot and killed at Columbus Roosters restaurant

According to court records, Davis and Castro were "former friends and attended school together for several years." Court records said witnesses told police that Castro had previously threatened to kill Davis.

Davis was shot around 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the Roosters restaurant, located at 2454 E. Dublin-Granville Rd. He was standing in a vestibule area waiting for a table at the restaurant.

Video from the restaurant shows someone pulling open the restaurant's exterior door, firing at least one shot into the vestibule area, and then fleeing. Davis and another person then ran inside the restaurant, where Davis collapsed from a gunshot wound and was later pronounced dead at 10:25 p.m. by paramedics.

The video shows a young boy with his mother at the counter just inside the door from the interior of the restaurant to the vestibule. The boy was looking out through the glass just to the right of the door when the shooting occurred in the vestibule, his mother initially unaware of what had happened.

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A series of 911 calls placed by patrons and employees at the restaurant showed the frantic and chaotic situation in the aftermath of the shooting. No caller said they got a good view of the suspect.

Teen suspect crashed into undercover SWAT officers attempting to arrest him

Castro was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly crashing his vehicle into undercover vehicles used by Columbus police SWAT officers, according to Sgt. James Fuqua, police division spokesman.

The officers had Castro under surveillance and were following him as he drove a silver Mazda on Interstate 71 southbound. Castro apparently suspected he was being followed and sped off at a high rate of speed, but the undercover vehicles had to follow traffic laws and could not pursue, Fuqua said.

Police were able to locate Castro and the Mazda again along Interstate 270 west, where Castro allegedly crashed into one undercover vehicle on the ramp to U.S. 33 near Dublin. Castro bailed from the Mazda, which continued rolling and crashed into a second undercover vehicle, Fuqua said.

Castro was apprehended without incident, Fuqua said.

He was arraigned Thursday on the murder charge and is being held in the Franklin County jail.

Police: Castro also suspect in double shooting Sunday in North Linden

Police said Thursday that Castro also has been identified as a suspect in a double shooting reported at 4:48 p.m. Sunday that occurred on the 2400 block of Cleveland Avenue at Myrtle Avenue near Ena's Carribean Kitchen in North Linden.

Two men, ages 34 and 27, sustained gunshot wounds in that incident. One man was transported in critical condition, life-threatening condition, and the other transported in stable condition to a local hospital, police reported.

Charges against Castro in connection with the double shooting are expected to be filed next week, police said. Additional charges are likely for Castro's actions involving SWAT officers.

Anyone with information about any homicide can call the Columbus police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or report an anonymous tip to the Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Teen charged in Roosters murder also suspect in a double shooting