COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Franklin County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal shooting on the east side of Columbus on Saturday as 45-year-old Nicole Pleasant.
Police said Pleasant was killed on Lockwood Avenue shortly before officers arrived on scene for a domestic violence call.
Security camera video shows a neighbor pointing out the suspect to police, who are immediately met by gunfire.
At least one officer returned fire, hitting the suspect, according to police. No officers were injured.
Officers provided aid until the medics arrived and took the suspect to a hospital in critical condition. He later died at 7:50 p.m.
CPD said the suspect was armed with a rifle. Prior to officers’ arrival, he had also fired at other bystanders and pointed the rifle at a man on a bike. No neighbors were injured.
Police have not identified the suspect.
While the details that led up to the shooting remain unclear, police called it a domestic situation.
LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic has resources available to help people in domestic violence situations.
“We work very closely with Columbus Police Department when they get those calls in getting those people to safety and they do call us most of the time when they are dealing with an intimate partner situation they will give us a call and if that person does not have a safe place to go we will bring them into our shelter,” said Lillian Howard, Director of Clinical and Supportive Services.
The Lutheran Social Services CHOICES hotline is staffed 24/7 and can be reached at 614-224-4663.
Howard explained the early signs of domestic abuse.
“When you start to notice the signs that someone is controlling, someone is mistreating you, they are putting you down. They are interfering with your financial situation. They are threatening your children, coercing you into doing things or preventing you from doing things you would want to do yourself," she said.
In 2023, domestic violence homicides tripled in Columbus from the year before.
Rep. Sara Carruthers, a Republican, has been trying to pass a bill called Aisha’s Law that would improve how law enforcement responds to domestic violence cases and increase protections for victims.
“Lives are at stake, people are dying from this, children are being affected it is a cycle of violence that has to stop,” Rep. Carruthers said.
Aisha’s Law would expand the definition of domestic violence to include strangulation, increase officer training, increase immediate access to protection orders among other protections for those at risk of domestic violence.
She said domestic violence calls can be some of the most dangerous for law enforcement.
“They don’t know what they are going into at all, that is the most dangerous situation, as far as I am concerned, that they can walk into because they don’t know what they are facing. They don’t know what weapons they have. It can escalate very quickly,” Rep. Carruthers said.
Aisha’s Law was stalled twice in the senate, but Rep. Carruthers is determined to introduce it a third time.
As for Saturday’s incident in Columbus, BCI is now investigating.