Police identify man killed in University District shooting near fairgrounds

Columbus police on Tuesday identified a man who died following a double shooting Saturday in the University District near the state fairgrounds.

Jerry T. Harper Jr., 54, was pronounced dead at 1:55 a.m. Sunday after he and another person were found suffering from gunshot wounds after a Saturday night shooting, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

Columbus police responded to a report of a shooting at about 8:38 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of East 13th Avenue and arrived to find a man who had been shot. Officers located Harper nearby on the 400 block of East 14 ^th Avenue. Both men were transported by medics in critical condition to a local hospital, where Harper later succumbed to his injuries.

According to an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant for Harper’s vehicle, Columbus police homicide detectives believe Harper was shot in an apartment on 13 ^th Avenue before he climbed into his vehicle, a 2020 Toyota Tacoma, and drove to a house on 14 ^th Avenue before collapsing on the house’s rear deck.

Detectives retrieved a handgun with blood on it from the driver’s side floor and observed two gun safes inside the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Columbus Division of Police Homicide Division at 614-645-4730 or submit an anonymous tip to 614-461-8477.

Bethany Bruner contributed to this report.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect first name for the victim.

bagallion@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Police identify man killed in University District shooting near fairgrounds