Police arrest suspect after Columbus shooting leaves three women wounded

Police said a gunfire call on Sixth Avenue North ended with three women hospitalized and a SWAT arrest after investigators tracked a suspect across Columbus. The shooting unfolded in the 2600 block of Sixth Avenue North, where officers found the women with gunshot wounds and rushed them to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Investigators identified Eugene Henley, 69, as the suspected shooter and matched him to a vehicle description tied to the case. That lead took officers to a home in the 200 block of 19th Street South, where several people came outside and told police Henley was still inside. When Henley would not surrender, the SWAT Team moved in and found him hiding in the attic.

Henley was taken into custody without further incident and booked on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of possession of a weapon by a felon. He is being held at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center without bond as the investigation continues.

The case shows how quickly a street shooting can move from a neighborhood block to a tactical response. In this case, officers relied on a victim identification, a vehicle description and information from people at the South 19th Street house to narrow the search and prevent a prolonged standoff. For residents, that kind of response is a sign to stay clear of the scene, follow police directions and avoid trying to move toward a house or block where officers are building a perimeter.

Columbus police asked anyone with information to contact the department at (662) 244-3500 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at (800) 530-7151. The arrest comes amid a run of serious shootings in Columbus in late May and early June, including a Memorial Day case that left a child in critical condition and a separate shooting on 24th Street North that wounded a mother and her 18-month-old child. Those incidents have kept violence and response times at the center of public attention across the city, including East Columbus and nearby neighborhoods.