On July 18, 2026, 29-year-old Aaron Williams Jr. was found with a gunshot wound in a wooded area of Marion-Franklin Park on Columbus’s south side. A passerby discovered him on the 2800 block of Lockbourne Road and alerted authorities; paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene after police arrived around 8:50 a.m.

Williams was remembered by friends and family as a former all-star athlete and an all-around good person. Columbus Police homicide detectives canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses and searched for evidence, and the Division of Police publicly appealed for information. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers offered a cash reward for tips.

No suspects or arrests had been publicly identified, and details about a motive or persons of interest were not released. If anyone saw activity in the Marion-Franklin Park area that morning or has information about Aaron Williams Jr.’s death, please come forward.