Source: WISH-TV / Columbus Police Department
COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — The shooting in Columbus, Indiana on May 23 that sent four people to a hospital started because of a fight over a girl, court documents released Tuesday say.
Around 7:35 p.m. May 23, Columbus police officers were dispatched to the Lincoln Park basketball court after being informed of multiple people being shot during what officers later determined was a drive-by shooting.
Court papers say witnesses told investigators on the scene that a grey or silver car pulled up beside the basketball court, and saw 18-year-old Edmarius Oats roll down a back window and start shooting into the crowd on the court.
The driver of the car, 18-year-old Alexander Parker, then sped away from the court.
At the start of the investigation, officers identified the four people who were shot in the drive-by, including an 18-year-old man that investigators later learned had been in conflict with Oats over a girl they both previously dated.
According to court documents, detectives discovered that while the man was at the basketball court, another person at the court called Oats over Instagram and invited him to play basketball.
When Oats learned the man was at the court, documents say that Oats exchanged words with him, with the person acting as a middleman. Oats then used expletives to say he was going to shoot the man.
The shooting happened almost a half hour after the phone call to Oats ended, court papers say.
Court documents say that the mother of one of the people injured in the shooting told investigators that the 18-year-old had dated a girl that Oats had also previously dated. The woman also told officers that the man was receiving threatening messages from Oats.
After the shooting, court documents say, investigators found Parker and the suspected car driving toward Franklin, Indiana. Parker was taken into custody. He told officers that he was the driver of the vehicle during the shooting, but wouldn’t say who was in the car with him.
During a search of Parker’s vehicle, investigators located three 9 mm shell casings and two unspent .22-caliber bullets.
Investigators later found Oat’s Instagram, court papers say. Oats’ account showed several posts of him holding various firearms and cash. Detectives saved the images from the posts, only to later learn that the posts had been deleted after officers noted the pictures.
Detectives were told by witnesses that Oats was seen being dropped off at this home in the 2400 block of Old Field Lane after the shooting. Court documents say that investigators watched the residence until a warrant for Oats was obtained.
After a perimeter was set up by a SWAT team, Oats was contacted by negotiators, and Oats later surrendered himself to police shortly after midnight on May 23.
Investigators spoke with Oats, who denied being involved in the shooting, having conflict with the 18-year-old man, and not being invited to come to Lincoln Park to play basketball.
Oats was also shown photos of him holding guns from his Instagram, but court papers say he told detectives the guns were not his.
Officers were later able to search Oats’ home, and found an empty box of 9 mm ammunition, another unspent .22-caliber round, a holster, and a plastic box for a 15-round 9 mm magazine.
Online court documents say Oats is facing charges of one count of attempted murder intentional of killing another and four counts of aggravated battery use, all of which are felonies.
Parker is also facing felony charges for four counts of aggravated battery use and one count of assisting a criminal.
Both Parker and Oats were being held at the Batholomew County jail without bond as of Tuesday evening. Initial hearings have not been set yet.