COLUMBUS — A shooting near a nightclub in Columbus late last month has left one person dead and another arrested, with authorities now working to amend charges against the suspect to include homicide.
The incident occurred in the early hours of October 27, around 3:30 a.m., near a nightclub in the 2200 block of State Street. According to a news release from the Columbus Police Department, officers responded to reports of gunfire. They arrived to find several witnesses who indicated that an argument had escalated into a shooting.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Pedro Luis Rivera Ayala, allegedly fired a gun during the altercation. One of the bullets struck 32-year-old Bradford Alexander Kendrick Brooks, who was in the vicinity of the nightclub. Witnesses reported that Brooks was immediately taken to a hospital near Indianapolis for treatment.
Despite efforts to save him, Brooks was pronounced dead on Saturday, November 9.
Rivera Ayala was arrested on October 28 and is currently held in the Bartholomew County Jail on charges of aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a Level 6 felony, and pointing a firearm at another, a Level 6 felony.
In the wake of Brooks’ death, the Columbus Police Department, along with the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office, is actively working to amend the charges to include homicide.
An initial hearing for Rivera Ayala is scheduled for December 2, 2024. Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the argument or the other individuals’ identities.
The investigation is ongoing.
Those facing criminal charges are considered innocent unless convicted through due legal proceedings. Accusations alone do not imply guilt; the judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.
