Columbus, west side business work to curb violence

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The owners of a west Columbus gas station with a history of problems are now working with city leaders to prevent further violent incidents.

The Sunoco on West Broad Street and Harris Avenue was the scene of the fatal shooting of Andrew Combs, 21, on Tuesday.

Combs was shot during an altercation that police said began as an attempted robbery. Police have arrested David Johnson III, 20, and charged him with murder in the shooting.

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the city filed an agreement in court this week with the owners of the gas station, saying the changes will be made.

Klein said this station was originally on the city’s list of liquor license renewal objections since the previous owners refused to work with the city. When new owners expressed a willingness to work with the city, the business was removed from the list.

“So they are going to be making significant steps in the right direction,” Klein said.

The West Broad Street gas station has a history of violence, but city leaders hope violence is not in the business’s future.

“This particular gas station, this Sunoco, is going to see improved lighting, it’s going to see improved security, it’s going to see video camera surveillance and I think they are also going to close their bathroom to the public as well, so it will help with the ingress and egress,” Klein said.

The agreement between the Sunoco and the city states these improvements will be made. Under the business’ previous owners, Klein said the city had no choice but to revoke its liquor license.

“The business was sold about a year ago and the previous ownership group fell into the bucket of not working,” Klein said.

Now, he said the city is giving the store a chance to keep its liquor license.

“I really applaud them for being a part of the team and the team’s effort to improve public safety,” Klein said. “I think they recognize that there were some issues at their business and it looks like, so far, they want to do the right thing and get that done.”

However, if the business fails to follow through, Klein said they will be held in contempt with the court.

“This particular place happened to be a location where a lot of folks were just loitering and trespassing on the property,” he said. “If you can eliminate the unwanted trespassing individuals who are causing the problems, that, hopefully, coupled with the lighting, video, and security personnel, would improve public safety for that particular location but also the neighborhood that surrounds it.”

When asked Saturday, the current owners of the Sunoco were unable to do an interview, but a manager at the store said he’s still shaken up from this week’s shooting, adding he is looking forward to seeing the improvements.