Ohio man arrested and charged in alleged murder of 13-year-old boy in Columbus

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man arrested in connection with the murder of a 13-year-old boy in northeast Columbus faced a judge Friday morning.

According to court documents, Jaivon Jones, 20, was arrested June 27 and charged with the murder of 13-year-old Angel Diaz, who was shot and killed near the 1300 block of East Hudson Street in North Linden.

On April 14, Columbus police found Diaz in an alley behind East Hudson Street suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at 10:25 p.m. Officers noted that a white 2008-2012 Ford Escape with a black bumper and temporary plates was seen in the area that night.

Investigators began searching video surveillance systems between 8:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. on April 14 and discovered evidence of a “muzzle blast” coming from the SUV in question.

ShotSpotter technology showed that gunshots were recorded from the area where Jones was allegedly driving while he was traveling 15 MPH and a witness also observed gunshots coming from the vehicle.

An arrest warrant was issued for Jones on June 20, and during an interview with police, he told detectives he was driving the SUV to the scene when the shot was fired. He denied the gunshot came from his vehicle.

A judge set Jones on $1.5 million bail and he is scheduled to appear in court July 5 for a preliminary hearing.