America’s criminal justice system is in big trouble and everybody can see that. It’s not just the dangerous streets, carjackings, assaults, and murders. It’s not just the cashless bail.
It’s also the prisons and courts themselves: overcrowded, insecure, and full of mismanagement. This next case will make you gasp with disbelief, but it’s all 100% true.
It’s about a prisoner who never should have been walking free, but was doing so anyway. I wish this kind of thing was isolated and rare.
Criminal Takes a Life in Columbus
On December 13, in Columbus, Ohio, a shooting took the life of an individual. Andrew Combs died after being shot at a Sunoco gas station.
Law enforcement officials responded to the shooting and arrested a suspect by the name of David Johnson III. He was identified and arrested as the chief suspect at the scene.
Johnson was not even supposed to be there. He was supposed to be in jail for another crime at the time he allegedly took Combs’ life. In fact, in early December, Johnson was arrested for the murder of his son.
According to a report by authorities, Johnson allegedly exposed his son to the drug fentanyl, the cause of the child’s death from intoxication. This led to him being charged with putting his kid at risk, drug charges, and tampering with a crime scene.
Yet, here he was walking free and gunning a man down at a gas station.
Andrew Combs, W/21, was murdered at a Columbus, Ohio gas station on Dec 13th.
Police now say that the lead suspect had been "accidentally released" from jail when the killing took place.
This is the second Black on White murder at a Columbus, OH gas station in two months. pic.twitter.com/u9WBJnORLP
— National Conservative (@NatCon2022) December 16, 2022
How In the World Did This Happen?
On December 13, police from the Columbus region received a call late at night. It was around 11:59 p.m. when they were notified of a shooting at the Sunoco gas station.
On the call, witnesses said there was a man injured in a shooting. Combs, a 21-year-old, had been hit by bullets and was writhing in pain.
Soon, the officers arrived at the scene and began to respond to Combs, even before the arrival of an ambulance.
Combs was taken to a nearby hospital, but could not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead at 1 am on Dec. 14.
On the night of December 13, Combs was reportedly with someone else at the gas station when men approached and tried to rob the gas station. Combs stood up to them and was shot down, allegedly by Johnson.
After obtaining possession of the videos from the cameras of the post, the police analyzed all the events of the night of the crime. They came to the conclusion that one of the suspects was Johnson.
Franklin County officials say David Johnson III is a suspect in a fatal shooting in the Hilltop Tuesday. They say Johnson was accidentally let out of jail Nov. 29 on human error.
New charges: murder of 21-year-old Andrew Combs. Previous charges: murder, involuntary manslaughter pic.twitter.com/Tumwbo0xEq
— Anna Hoffman (@AnnaHoffmanTV) December 16, 2022
The Bottom Line
Johnson appears to have been let out of jail as part of some kind of administrative error; although exactly what happened is still under investigation. The warden only said it was a “human error.”
Well, that “human error” cost another human his life!
America needs to get very serious about criminal justice very fast. That means punishing criminals much more harshly, increasing sentences, and improving the administration and maintenance of jails.
We can’t let more people get killed because individuals are unable to do their jobs. This never should have happened and the fact that it did is a horrific miscarriage of justice.
