On the evening of July 6, 2026, a road-rage dispute on the Near East Side of Columbus turned fatal at Old Leonard Avenue and Rose Avenue. Ernest LaQuaun Burley, 33, was shot after a confrontation with 29-year-old Shawn Micheal Maxwell, who had exited his car with a firearm and engaged Burley following an incident involving off-road vehicles and a motorcyclist doing wheelies. Burley was found with a gunshot wound and flown to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:02 PM.

Patrol officers apprehended Maxwell at the scene; homicide detectives charged him with murder and he was booked into the Franklin County Jail. Investigators say Maxwell told police he fired because Burley walked toward him, and that Burley was unarmed. Family members described Burley as kind and loving and expressed shock and anger at the killing. His mother addressed the judge at an arraignment on July 8, where bond was set at $1.5 million and a further court date was scheduled for July 17.

Anyone with information about the shooting at Old Leonard and Rose avenues is asked to contact detectives.