Devon Gregory VonDutch Rheubottom, an 18-year-old Black male, was killed in Columbus, Ohio, on May 18, 2008. He was found behind 1290 E. 18th Avenue suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest after a burst of gunfire in the South Linden neighborhood near East 18th and Cleveland avenues. Investigators recovered spent casings showing multiple firearms were used and an AK-47-style rifle was found behind a tree.

Police described the incident as a gunbattle involving numerous participants; witnesses estimated roughly two dozen shots were fired and several homes were struck. Officers and the Ohio Attorney General’s unsolved-homicide records assigned the case to the Columbus Police Department. No individual was publicly identified as having fired the fatal shot and no arrest was announced in the immediate aftermath. The violence surrounding the killing affected Rheubottom’s family — a fight at the funeral home forced officials to move the service to the graveside while police worked to prevent further confrontations.

The state cold-case record continues to list Rheubottom’s homicide as unsolved and the case remains associated with Columbus Police, who are seeking information that could identify the person responsible. If anyone knew Devon, was in South Linden on May 18, 2008, or has information about the shooting, please come forward.