A man arrested in connection to a shooting death over the weekend has been charged with second-degree murder, according to Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton.
Tommy Flowers, 27, was arrested by the Columbus Police Department Tuesday after the Sunday morning shooting death of Harvey Montreal Johnson, 16.
Flowers was a passenger in Johnson’s car at the time of the shooting, and was originally charged with possession of a stolen firearm.
Flowers allegedly shot into a house at Poplar Street, Shelton said. During the incident, Johnson was fatally wounded by someone other than Flowers.
Flowers has now been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of attempt to commit murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and directing a youth to commit a felony.
The murder charge arises from the fact that Flowers was involved in a crime that caused a death, Shelton explained.
“If I’m involved in committing a felony crime, for instance a bank robbery, and someone gets killed, then I’m responsible for that as well even though I didn’t pull the trigger,” Shelton said.
Shelton would not release any other details on the investigation but said police are seeking Johnson’s shooter.
“We have been in contact with the district attorney’s office, and they are in support of the charges,” Shelton said. “I want to thank our police officers and detectives for their hard work that led to this arrest. The new Neighborhood Watch cameras were a valuable tool in solving this case, too.”
No bond was set for Flowers, who was already out on bond for previous drug and weapon charges.
Shelton asked anyone with information on the case to call Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151 or use the P3 Tips smartphone app. Tips are anonymous, and there is a cash reward if they result in an arrest.
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