Atlanta entertainer killed in shooting outside Ohio Waffle House
A generic photo of a Waffle House sign (Photographer: Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Police in Ohio are searching for a 19-year-old accused of the murder of an Atlanta man at a Waffle House earlier this week.
WSYX reports that Columbus police officers responded to reports of a shooting at around 2:30 a.m. on Monday outside a Waffle House near Ohio State University.
At the scene, officers found 38-year-old Ronald Diggs shot in the chest. Medics rushed Diggs to a local hospital, where he later died.
Investigators say the incident started as a fight inside the restaurant that continued out onto the street.
A suspect, identified as 19-year-old Jaquan Curry, is facing a murder charge and remains on the run.
Who was Ronald Diggs?
Ronald Diggs was visiting Columbus to perform at a show in the city's arts district.
Friend Robbie Rickard told WBNS that Diggs had nothing to do with the fight that led to his death.
"It was simply a matter of being at the wrong place and the wrong time," Rickard said.
He said that Diggs, who went by the name King Ry'Yon Shugahbear Tajoure, was known for his passion for dancing, which had won him multiple titles at LGBTQ+ pageants.
"He was here just to simply be an entertainer, and to judge that event. Little did we know – that would be his last dance," Rickard told WBNS.
Police are asking anyone who has information about Diggs's death or Curry's whereabouts to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.