A shooting in Portsmouth Sunday evening sent one man to a trauma center and led to serious felony charges against an underage West Portsmouth teen and a Portsmouth man.
Police were called around 7:25 p.m. Sunday to 1817 Thomas Avenue, Apartment F after reports that someone had been shot. When officers arrived, they found the victim lying behind the building near the rear of the apartment.
Paramedics rushed the man to Southern Ohio Medical Center, where he was stabilized before being transferred to an out-of-county trauma center for further treatment. Social media lit up throughout the evening with photos showing police cruisers and ambulances converging on the Wayne Hills area, and the victim was eventually transported by air ambulance.
Police say patrol officers quickly tracked down two suspects believed to be involved in the shooting and recovered a firearm connected to the incident. Detectives from the Portsmouth Police Department’s Detective Division then took over the investigation.
One of the suspects is an underage teen from West Portsmouth, identified by police as Brennen Malakyii Russell. Investigators say the teen now faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence, and felonious assault.
The second suspect, Colten A. Harmon of West Portsmouth, has been charged with aggravated robbery and felonious assault.
Harmon appeared in Portsmouth Municipal Court Monday morning, where a judge ordered him held in the Scioto County Jail under bond. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 12.
Court records show Harmon has had prior trouble with the law. He was arrested for aggravated menacing in August 2024, though that case was later dismissed. More recently, on February 21, he posted a photo on his public Facebook page showing what appeared to be a gun.
Police have not yet released details about what led to the shooting or the current condition of the victim.
Sources close to the victim say that Jaye Lashawn was flown from SOMC in Critical Condition.
The investigation remains ongoing, and SCDN will continue following the case as more information becomes available.