COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man charged with the murder of a teenager in South Linden faced a judge Friday morning.

Eighteen-year-old Dante Johnston appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court and was issued a $500,000 bond for his role in the death of 17-year-old Dezmond Vaughn-Butler. Police found Vaughn-Butler at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday night suffering from a gunshot wound in the 1600 block of Cleveland Avenue. He was taken to Grant Medical Center. He died there Wednesday night.

Shortly afterward, a witness told police that a 16-year-old was involved in a verbal altercation with Vaughn-Butler in an alley behind Cleveland Avenue. The witness stated that the juvenile produced a semi-automatic assault rifle and fired shots at Vaughn-Butler.

  • Scene of a shooting that left one person in critical condition on the 1600 block of Cleveland Avenue on Oct. 31, 2023. (NBC4)
    Scene of a shooting that left one person in critical condition on the 1600 block of Cleveland Avenue on Oct. 31, 2023. The victim died two days later. (NBC4)
  • Dante Johnston (Courtesy Photo/Franklin County Municipal Court)

Recovered video surveillance showed the juvenile and Johnston firing shots at the victim, according to police. Both Johnston and a 16-year-old were charged with Vaughn-Butler’s murder after a CPD SWAT team arrested them on Thursday. 

The 16-year-old appeared in juvenile court Friday afternoon and was ordered to stay in the juvenile detention center due to the severity of the crime. The teen also has prior history with the detention center, having been previously charged with carrying a concealed weapon and aggravated robbery.

Columbus Homicides of 2023