Josiah Sims was a 17-year-old Black male who his mother described as funny and a young man who loved to rap. "His last words to me were, 'Mom, I love you so much,'" his mother, Erika Sims, recalled. On the afternoon of February 20, 2024, Josiah was fatally shot near his grandmother's home in the Millbrook neighborhood of southeast Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus police officers responded to a report of a shooting near the intersection of Holburn Avenue and Moler Road at approximately 4:41 p.m.
Arriving at the scene, they found Josiah suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 5:20 p.m.
According to Josiah's grandmother, Marla Sims, the deadly confrontation stemmed from a trivial argument over "a pair of sweatpants and a washcloth." She stated that a cousin, Angelo Bowers, who was not supposed to be near their home, initiated the dispute. When Josiah attempted to leave, his grandmother said, Bowers followed him down the street and shot him.
In the course of their investigation, police arrested two men: 44-year-old Angelo Bowers Jr. and 64-year-old Roy Hairston. Both were taken into custody at the Franklin County Jail and initially charged with murder. Later, both Angelo Bowers Jr. and Roy Hairston pleaded guilty in connection with the fatal shooting and were sentenced to prison.
In the aftermath, Josiah’s family was left to grieve a loss they called "very unexpected and senseless." His mother pleaded for an end to such violence, stating, "My baby didn't deserve what happened to him... I don't want another family to feel like I am feeling." The family set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses. At the time of the shooting, Josiah was one of 12 homicide victims in Columbus in 2024, and one of five who were 21 years old or younger.
