On January 10, 2023, 24-year-old Amara Jones was shot in the parking lot of Sunbury Plaza on South Sunbury Road near Westerville, Ohio. Blendon Township officers arrived about 5:35 p.m. and found Jones inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head; she was taken to Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital and pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m.

Police identified 29-year-old Rodney Amir Perry as a suspect shortly after the shooting. Perry contacted 911 admitting to the shooting and left the scene; he was later located and arrested in North Carolina roughly eight hours after the incident and extradited to Ohio. Jones was born July 25, 1998, in Columbus to Steve and Camika Jones, graduated from Licking Heights High School in 2016, and had been pursuing a career in nursing.

The family and community were left grieving after her death. If anyone has information about the events that evening or knew Amara, please share what you can.