Denver Spencer, a 30-year-old White man, was killed in a shooting at a sports bar in Columbus, Ohio, in the early hours of Saturday, July 16, 2022. The incident, which left another man dead and two others injured, took place in the Hilltop neighborhood of the city.
Just before 2 a.m., Columbus police officers were called to Cain's Sports Bar on the 3400 block of Sullivant Avenue. Inside, they discovered 39-year-old Daylan Hawkins, who had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers found Denver Spencer outside the bar with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Grant Medical Center in critical condition but died at 2:57 a.m. Two other men were also wounded in the gunfire. A 31-year-old man was found shot at a gas station across the street and taken to a hospital in stable condition. A fourth victim, a 25-year-old man, was grazed by a bullet and found at a nearby apartment complex.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the identification of two suspects. In August 2022, police arrested 22-year-old Kacee Kenner, who was charged with murder for the deaths of Spencer and Hawkins. Another man, Anthony J. Davis, was also arrested and charged in the shooting.
According to prosecutors, a fight had broken out inside the bar. Davis watched the fight for a moment before walking over, pulling out a handgun, and firing at Denver Spencer. In addition to striking Spencer and Hawkins, his bullets also injured the two other men. Davis was convicted of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of inducing panic. In September 2023, a Franklin County Common Pleas judge sentenced Anthony Davis to 41 years in prison.
