COLUMBUS— Authorities in Columbus were called into action twice on Sunday night following two distinct shooting incidents that resulted in arrests and a heightened police presence in the area.
The first incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Coles Drive. The Columbus Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at a residence in the 4400 block of Coles Drive. A 53-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was transported to a nearby Columbus Fire Department station for initial treatment before being airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital for further care.
In response to the situation, the Columbus and Bartholomew County SWAT teams and the crisis negotiation team were deployed to the scene. Authorities engaged in negotiations with the suspected shooter, 78-year-old Stephen Funkhauser. After several hours of negotiation, Funkhauser surrendered and was taken into custody. He is currently facing a preliminary felony charge of battery with a deadly weapon.
The second shooting incident was reported at about 11:30 p.m. on Silver Fox Drive. Police were alerted to a domestic dispute at a home in the 2900 block of Silver Fox Drive. According to authorities, a confrontation between a man and woman escalated when the man, identified as 59-year-old Brent Clayburn, fired shots from a handgun. The woman fled the residence and sought refuge at a neighbor’s home, where she contacted the police.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered multiple bullets had struck the neighbor’s home. Clayburn initially barricaded himself inside his residence but eventually surrendered to law enforcement.
Clayburn was arrested and faces multiple felony charges, including domestic battery with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, and criminal confinement with a deadly weapon.
The investigations into both shootings are ongoing.
