Two men were taken to the hospital after a shooting outside of the Valley Dale Ballroom following a Fiesta Bowl victory party in the early morning hours of Friday.
The party was coming to an end, and according to local media, 12 OSU football players were signing autographs for some of the hundreds of people in attendance.
About 2:30 a.m., a man shot Christopher Dawson and Wilburn Deacham, who were sitting in a vehicle in front of the ballroom.
Officer Anthony Johnson, who was working special duty assignment, heard the shots and ran to the scene. The shooter, whose identity and whereabouts are unknown, fled the scene.
Dawson, 22, and Deacham, 24, were taken to OSU Medical Center and are both in serious condition.
Officer James McCoskey of the Columbus Division of Police said many questions will remain unanswered until both Johnson is back to work after the weekend and the victims are able to share their stories.
Dawson and Deacham are not students at Ohio State, McCoskey said.
“They are students of the street and both have criminal records,” he said.
McCoskey has been with the Columbus police for 31 years and said these kinds of things continue to happen and it is frustrating to watch.
“It’s hard to see people do the same stupid things. Sometimes they win and sometimes we win. This time we hope to win and catch this person,” McCoskey said.
The only description of the suspect available is that he is a black male.
No one else was injured in the shooting.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Columbus Police Homicide unit at 645-4730.
