Ellen Lakey, 64, was killed in her Parsons Avenue apartment in Columbus, Ohio on August 8, 2020 when a stray bullet from a shootout outside her building ricocheted off the ceiling and struck her in the back. The shooting happened about 4:46 AM while she was brewing her morning coffee. She was taken to a hospital but died shortly after arrival; the death was ruled a homicide.

Columbus Police opened an investigation that remains unsolved; no arrests have been announced. Family members said Lakey and her boyfriend had been planning to move away from the neighborhood because of increasing violence. Her daughter, Tania Lakey, has urged change and justice following a spike in summer violence.

If anyone was in the Parsons Avenue area that morning or has information about the shootout, please come forward to help bring answers.