$1-million bonds set for brothers charged in Westerville Fourth of July shooting - Arby's set for demolition
Two brothers charged in a Fourth of July shooting outside Westerville’s fireworks celebration were each ordered held on $1 million bond Monday during initial appearances in Delaware County Common Pleas Court.
Derrick Akwasi Oppong, 19, and Elvis Akowuah Oppong, 18, both listed at the same Pickerington address in arrest records, appeared by video before Magistrate Cory J. Coe. Court orders set bond for each man at $1 million cash, surety or real estate and scheduled preliminary hearings for July 14.
Both men are charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony, in connection with a shooting late July 4 in a parking lot across from the County Line Road entrance to the Westerville Community Center. Westerville police reports describe the incident as a traffic dispute after the city’s fireworks display that escalated into gunfire, leaving one man critically injured.
According to the Westerville police report, the victim was leaving the fireworks event with his girlfriend and two children when a gray Toyota Camry allegedly tried to cut into traffic, leading to the confrontation.
Witnesses told police the victim got out of his vehicle and stood between the vehicles, yelling at the occupants of the Toyota. Witnesses told officers that a rear window of the Toyota rolled down and that shots were fired from inside the vehicle, according to the report.
Officers working the fireworks event responded through a chaotic scene of pedestrians, backed-up vehicles, and bystanders flagging them down. Police identified Derrick Oppong as the driver of the Toyota and Elvis Oppong as seated in the rear of the vehicle, according to the report. Both were detained at the scene.
The crowded post-fireworks scene also slowed some officers trying to reach the victim. Officer Brant Griggs, who was assigned to bike patrol for the fireworks event, wrote that he and Sergeant Robert Schleve first had to move through a large crowd of juveniles running toward the reported shooting area. Because officers were receiving conflicting location information, they initially went to the wrong area before crossing to the correct parking lot. Once there, Griggs wrote, they still had to navigate around multiple cars and people to reach the victim.
The report also details an extensive emergency response by officers and bystanders before medics transported the victim to the hospital.
Officers arrived to find the victim on his back, conscious and crying out in pain, while bystanders were already trying to help, according to Officer Jackson Cook’s report. Cook, who wrote that he has EMT training, said he found multiple gunshot wounds and applied a tourniquet while Officer Nicholas Saa applied another. Griggs wrote that he gave Saa an additional tourniquet, then helped Cook treat the victim, including cutting off the victim’s shirt so officers could search for more wounds. When a shoulder wound could not be treated with a tourniquet, Cook wrote that he used a towel and body pressure to slow the bleeding until medics arrived.
During the transfer to medics, the victim complained of pain in his lower right side. Officers rolled him over and found another gunshot wound on his right rear torso, Cook wrote. Griggs also described helping roll the victim as officers and medics searched for additional wounds and treated them. Fire and EMS crews then took over care, lifted the victim onto a stretcher, and transported him to OSU Main Hospital.
Officer Scott Allen later wrote that a doctor at OSU confirmed the victim had eight gunshot wounds, mostly to the arms and shoulder, with one wound to the foot and one to the right side. Allen wrote that the victim underwent surgery and remained in critical condition.
Police said officers were directed to the suspect vehicle by witnesses, including one who had photographed the license plate. Allen wrote that he found a vehicle matching the description near the parking lot exit and ordered the driver out at gunpoint. Because the windows were darkly tinted, Allen also ordered a rear window down and saw another male in the back seat.
Allen wrote that Derrick Oppong told him the victim had tried to attack him by reaching through the driver’s window and grabbing him. After Allen advised Derrick of his Miranda rights, Derrick said he understood and told Allen the firearm was inside the vehicle, according to the report.
Graham’s report and probable cause affidavits say officers found two handguns in the Toyota’s trunk after clearing the vehicle.
Police also collected drone footage from the fireworks deployment. Officer Eric Everhart wrote that two drones were already in the air and recording as the incident unfolded, and that the SD cards were collected and entered into evidence.
The Westerville News has requested drone footage from the incident.
Former South State Street Arby’s demolition set for Wednesday morning
Demolition of the former Arby’s on South State Street is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday, marking the first visible step in a long-delayed rebuild of the aging restaurant property.
Heavy equipment was moved into place ahead of the work, blocking the entrance to the site. City officials have been invited to attend a photo opportunity at the start of demolition, according to David Skidmore, director of real estate for Inspire Company Restaurants, which owns the Arby’s.
The restaurant is expected to be torn down and replaced with a new 2,321-square-foot Arby’s with a drive-thru. The project keeps the fast-food restaurant on one of Westerville’s busiest commercial corridors while replacing a building that city officials and planning commissioners have said is ready for removal.
The demolition follows years of attempts by the owner and city officials to reach a broader solution for the site, including a proposed connector road that had once been expected to link South State Street and Hillsdowne Road through the Arby’s and neighboring McDonald’s properties.
That road connection will not be part of the project for now.
The Westerville Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the site plan and conditional-use permit for the rebuild after the application returned without conditions tied to the connector road. Senior Planner Jeff Buehler told commissioners the updated application was identical to the 2023 approval, except for the removal of those road-related conditions.
City staff said the new plan still preserves the possibility of making the connection later if conditions are satisfactory or if an agreement is reached among the multiple parties involved.
Skidmore, representing Inspire Brands, said the company spent two years trying to reach the agreement needed for the road connection.
After the meeting, Skidmore said McDonald’s objections involved the property’s topography and slope, along with the company’s reluctance to allow work on its property.
Access to the Arby’s site will remain largely unchanged. The property will keep two curb cuts on South State Street, including one shared with McDonald’s.
The new restaurant is planned near the center of the site, with parking and vehicle circulation around the building. The plan includes a dual drive-thru, which staff said should improve traffic flow compared with the current layout.
The building's design is similar to that of the recently renovated Arby’s at Maxtown Road and North State Street.
With demolition beginning Wednesday, the project can move from planning approvals toward engineering, building permits and construction.
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