Community leader says homeless man 'didn't deserve to die' for South Side trespassing

The leader of a faith-based community nonprofit organization says a homeless man fatally shot Saturday morning by a homeowner had likely been sleeping in a detached garage where he was shot and "didn't deserve to die" for trespassing.

Columbus police say Kevin J. Smith, 60, was shot and killed by a homeowner around 6 a.m. Saturday morning at a residence on the 600 block of East Whittier Street in the Southern Orchards neighborhood on the city's South Side.

Police received a 911 call reporting a trespasser at the home. Before officers arrived at the scene, there was another 911 call reporting a homeowner had shot the alleged trespasser.

Responding officers arrived to find Smith dead from gunshot wounds in the home's detached garage. Detectives with the Columbus police Homicide Unit are investigating the shooting, and will eventually turn their evidentiary findings and recommendations over to the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office. Prosecutors will decide whether to present the case to a county grand jury.

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Mike Premo, executive director of United Methodist Church & Community Development for All People, told The Dispatch on Wednesday that Smith was a homeless man who was a beloved member of their faith-based, nonprofit community organization and in the South Side community.

Smith was killed for sleeping in someone's detached garage without their permission, he said, calling his death "tragic and completely avoidable."

Premo said he didn't know what took place between Smith and the homeowner, but he said Smith was no danger.

"Knowing Kevin, there is absolutely no way he posed any threat to anyone. He would've followed directions and left if asked," Premo said.

"Kevin was a gentle person who always had a smile and a kind word," Premo said. "He didn’t deserve to die this way. He deserved to be treated with dignity and respect. He deserved a home of his own," Premo said. "Knowing Kevin, there is absolutely no way he posed any threat to anyone. He would've followed directions and left if asked."

Premo and other staff and volunteers at United Methodist Church & Community Development for All People got to know Smith over the last two years when he stayed at the organization's warming center.

"Kevin was a gentle person who always had a smile and a kind word," Premo said. "He was a volunteer, active churchgoer, and a frequent attendee at weekly Bible studies, where he used his advanced education and law degree to provide incredible theological insights."

Premo described Smith as "a master storyteller who constantly made us laugh," and someone who looked after "those at the margins" like himself.

"He was a beautiful human being, and we are deeply saddened to lose this leader in our community," Premo said.

Police issued a missing persons alert for Smith in late June 2022. He was found safe a few days later.

While the community mourns Smith's death, Premo said, he and others will keep working build a better safety net in Columbus for those experiencing homelessness.

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"Increased access to good paying jobs, affordable housing and addiction and mental health services would go a long way toward getting people off the streets and on track to achieve their hopes, dreams and aspirations," he said.

United Methodist Church & Community Development for All People will hold a memorial service and reception for Smith on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at its building at 946 Parsons Avenue.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120