Jason Keys, 43, of Pataskala, was fatally shot on June 20, 2021, on the Far East Side of Columbus while leaving a relative’s home after a Father’s Day celebration. A neighborhood argument broke out as people were departing and several individuals, including Keys, reportedly brandished firearms. Keys was taken to Mount Carmel East in critical condition and later died.

After the shooting Smith retreated into his house and resisted, prompting a brief standoff with Columbus SWAT before he was taken into custody and charged with murder. Franklin County prosecutors also charged 74-year-old Robert Thomas with involuntary manslaughter, asserting his confrontation with Keys using an assault rifle set off the chain of events; Thomas was later acquitted of that charge and found guilty of aggravated menacing. This was the third homicide in Columbus within three days, drawing attention to rising gun violence in the area.

Did anyone witness the confrontation or the moments immediately before shots were fired who can clarify what happened?