David Slater Jr. was 22 when he was shot and killed on June 9, 2002, near the Ohio State University campus in Columbus. He was sitting in a friend’s car on East 16th Avenue near Pearl Alley when a shooter fired through the back windshield and struck him in the chest. The driver tried to get Slater to a hospital and flagged down a Columbus Fire Department vehicle, but Slater was pronounced dead on arrival.

The investigation has been hampered by conflicting witness accounts. A key witness first told police the shooting occurred on East 16th Avenue but later recanted and said it happened elsewhere. Detectives also believe Slater had been in an argument with one or more people before the shooting, a fact investigators consider relevant. The Columbus Police Department and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation have kept the case open and continue to appeal for new information.

Anyone who knew David, witnessed the incident, or has information about that night is urged to contact investigators.