Mothers of murdered Columbus children react to second fatal hookah lounge shooting in less than two weeks

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Police tape on the door of a hookah lounge on Cleveland Ave., near the intersection of Morse Road, is the only sign of violence that occurred early in the morning Sunday.

Officers with the Blendon Township Police Department responded to the salon around 3:35 a.m. and found a man had been shot.

Devon Ball, 38, was taken to hospital where he died.

The lounge is called No Cap… It's shisha and according to its hours, it's open from 10 p.m. on Saturday evening to 5 a.m. on Sunday morning.

This shooting occurred a little more than a week after another deadly shooting near a hookah lounge in Columbus. Three people were killed and three others injured near Fifth Avenue and Summit Street. City Attorney Zach Klein said all options are on the table when it comes to the future of this facility.

“Lay down your weapons. It's not worth the shot. I tell you. I mean jail or the grave, which, I mean, it’s not worth it,” Brenda Johnson said.

She is a member of the Mothers of Murdered Children of Columbus. Her son, James, was killed in 2020. His case remains unsolved.

“When we see another victim, we relive that day and I just want her to think before she kills someone, to think about her own mother, because it's not worth it,” said Johnson.

No suspects are in custody for either shooting.

“If you saw something, say so. If you know something, say something. Like I always say, what if it was your mother, your brother, your father? It’s not worth it and we need closure, we need justice,” Johnson said.

10TV contacted the Blendon Township Police Department to ask if there had been any problems at the hookah lounge in the past, but did not receive a response.

Anyone with information about the shooting should contact Detective Nance at 614-882-8500 or by email at [email protected].

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