On the afternoon of July 12, 2023, a report of gunfire sent Columbus Police officers to the 2200 block of McGuffey Road in the South Linden area. Arriving around 4:49 p.m., they found Derrius Morgan, a 30-year-old man, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Medics rushed him to Grant Medical Center in critical condition, but he was pronounced deceased a short time later at 5:23 p.m.
Homicide investigators began piecing together the events that led to the shooting.
According to court documents and police statements, security camera footage captured a suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Clarence Ellis, driving a stolen vehicle to Morgan's home. Witnesses reported seeing Ellis point a gun at Morgan just moments before they heard gunshots ring out. With this evidence, the investigation focused on locating Ellis.
On December 27, 2023, authorities charged and indicted Clarence Ellis in connection with Morgan's death. By then, investigators had learned that Ellis had likely fled Ohio and was hiding in Alabama. The fugitive case was adopted by the U.S. Marshals, who coordinated with law enforcement partners in the South. The manhunt came to an end on January 4, 2024, when members of the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force located and safely arrested Ellis in the 1000 block of Honeysuckle Road in Dothan, Alabama.
Ellis was held at the Houston County Jail before being extradited back to Columbus to face justice. He was initially charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, and felony assault. Following his arraignment in January 2024, the case proceeded through the legal system. The matter concluded when Clarence Ellis pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for the fatal shooting of Derrius Morgan.
