Isaiah A. Hoskins, an 18-year-old Black male, tragically lost his life on November 6, 2017, in Columbus, Ohio. He was fatally shot outside a home in the Franklinton neighborhood. Police were called to the scene around 8 p.m. after receiving multiple reports of gunshots. When they arrived, they found Hoskins with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, back, and hand.
He was rushed to Mount Carmel West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The investigation into Hoskins' death remained open for several years. In September 2024, nearly seven years after the incident, Dametrius Watters, who was 24 years old at the time of the shooting, was indicted on charges of murder, aggravated murder, and having a weapon under disability. Watters was already serving a 23-year prison sentence for unrelated crimes, including a drive-by shooting in 2016 and another shooting in October 2017. According to court records, Watters and an accomplice allegedly threw rocks at a trailer to lure Hoskins outside, where Watters then shot him. Witnesses reported hearing Watters confess to the shooting shortly after it happened, and cellphone records placed him in the area at the time.
The case highlights the challenges of solving violent crimes and the importance of persistence in seeking justice for victims and their families. The indictment of Watters offers some measure of closure, though it comes years after the tragic loss of Isaiah Hoskins.
