Keveante Deshawn Smoot, Gun Crime, Ohio 2018

A Columbus man was sentenced to prison for his role in a 2018 shooting that left two children, including a 5-year-old, injured.

Keveante Deshawn Smoot, 28, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 41 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, according to court documents.

The shooting occurred on August 11, 2018, at Weinland Park on Summit Street in Columbus. Two adults and two children, ages 5 and 10, were reported to have been shot. Smoot, who was also a victim in the shooting, was driven to a local hospital by an associate after being shot in the arm.

During a search of the associate’s car, a 9mm pistol was found that contained Smoot’s DNA, according to an affidavit in Smoot’s case. Emails and calls between Smoot and others in jail also revealed that Smoot had possessed a firearm at the shooting and had fired shots, the affidavit states.

Smoot pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2020. The case was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Columbus Police Department.

U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan J.C. Grey and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher N. St. Pierre represented the United States in this case.

The sentence brings closure to the victims and their families, who have endured the trauma of the shooting for years, said officials. The case highlights the importance of holding accountable those who commit gun crimes, particularly those with prior convictions.

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