U.S. Marshals, Franklin County SWAT arrest Mississippi mass shooting suspect in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A 23-year-old man wanted in connection with a mass shooting in Mississippi was arrested early Wednesday in Columbus after investigators tracked him to an apartment complex on the city’s East Side.
The U.S. Marshals Service Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, known as SOFAST, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team worked together to locate and arrest Larry Smith Jr. without incident at an apartment in the 1300 block of Burnham Drive, authorities said in a release.
“The partnership between the U.S. Marshals Service and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office continues to take violent offenders out of our community. The combination of our investigative techniques and network of fugitive task forces across the county and the FCSO SWAT teams’ tactical capabilities led to the quick and safe arrest of this suspect,” United States marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, Michael D. Black stated.
Smith is wanted by the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi on two counts of murder, seven counts of felonious assault and 10 counts of drive-by shooting.
He is responsible for the July 4 shooting in Centerville, Mississippi, that left two people dead and seven others injured.
The case was referred to the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, which learned Smith likely fled to the Columbus area and contacted SOFAST for assistance, according to authorities.
After his arrest, Smith was taken to the Franklin County Jail, where he is being held pending extradition proceedings back to Mississippi.