Police say robbery may have been a motive for the shooting of Billy Howard.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Neighbors thought a minister found dead outside his home was hurt while shoveling snow, but police said Wednesday that he was shot.
A neighbor saw Billy Howard outside his home on Bulen Avenue on the city's east side and said he did not realize it would be the last time, 10TV's Tanisha Mallett reported.
"My oldest son saw Bill outside shoveling," neighbor Karl Thomson said. "The next thing I know, maybe 15 or 20 minutes later, he said a squad was in front of the house."
Thomson said medics worked on Howard for 20 minutes before taking him to the Ohio State University Medical Center East where police said he was pronounced dead.
Investigators said that is when they realized Howard had been shot once in the chest, Mallett reported.
Howard's death has been ruled a homicide, and investigators were still trying to determine a motive. They said robbery may have been a motive, Mallett reported.
"There is no was to make sense of it, there is no way to make sense," said friend Mary Jenkins.
Family and friends said Howard was a minister at Columbus Christian Center Church and a friend to everyone in the community.
"He was an incredible example of a good man, a good father, a good husband, a business man and all of those things," Jenkins said.
Friends said Howard was the type of person who devoted his life to helping people turn from a life of crime.
"He was definitely a God-fearing man who understood what is means to love God first and he loved his family he was truly a provider," Jenkins said.
Family and friends hope someone will come forward with information, Mallett reported.
"It is beyond sad, it's just senseless," Thomson said.
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