Ashley Nichelle Messner, a 30-year-old White woman from Hilliard, Ohio, died on June 10, 2026, after a shooting inside an apartment in northwest Columbus near Hilliard. Police were called at about 7:34 p.m. to the 5200 block of Applebaugh Street, at an apartment complex identified in reports as The Charles at Riggins Run. When officers arrived, they found Ashley and another person suffering from apparent gunshot wounds inside the apartment.
Columbus Fire medics arrived soon after, but both were pronounced dead at the scene at 7:48 p.m.
The next morning, Columbus police identified the suspected shooter as Shaun Stevens. Investigators said their preliminary findings indicated that Stevens shot and killed Ashley, then immediately took his own life. Because Stevens died at the scene, there were no arrests, no criminal charges filed, and no trial or conviction. Police continued to describe the case as under investigation, but they said there was no ongoing threat to the public and treated the shooting as an isolated murder-suicide.
Reports later described the killing as a domestic violence incident. Police confirmed that Stevens was Ashley’s boyfriend, and neighbors said Ashley’s two children were nearby when the shooting happened. The scene shocked residents of the apartment complex, which neighbors described as a quiet area. Police tape remained around the property the following day as investigators continued processing what had happened.
Ashley’s obituary remembered her as someone with a happy spirit, an adventurous heart, and a deeply soulful nature. It said she brought warmth and energy to the people around her and that her greatest joy was being a mother to her two daughters, Rylee and Arya. She was survived by her parents, siblings, nieces, nephew, extended family, and friends, while private family services were planned through Newcomer Funeral Homes in Grove City.
