14 June 2007

Murder in Weinland Park

I have been hesitant to write about this crime because I did not want to provoke fear or criticism from you. However, I deliberately chose to live here in Weinland Park, knowing the neighborhood's reputation. I want to live the with the integrity and courage to be honest and forthright about my choices.

Kenneth Crawford was murdered by gunshot on April 25, 2007. Initial reports did not confirm his name, but it was revealed shortly after his death. The Dispatch also carried a story. In my apartment we heard several very loud gun shots; they were louder than any I had heard there before. We could see the large assembly of police cars around the crime scene from my bedroom window.

The murderer is still at large.

Before anyone worries about my safety because my apartment is so close to a violent murder scene, I shall remind you that a few blocks from my former apartment on the corner of North 4th Street and 16th Ave, an arsonist killed five students at 64 East 17th Ave. That was in a neighborhood considered much "safer" than Weinland Park. I passed the charred shell of that house whenever I walked to campus during my first few months in Columbus. As far as I know, the murderer is still at large.

"Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil."

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