A student was shot and killed near the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house early Sunday morning. Credit: Lantern File Photo
One Ohio State student is dead after an altercation turned fatal early Sunday near the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity near East 14th and Indianola Avenues.
Chase Meola, a fifth-year in marketing from Mahwah, New Jersey, was found alive in a parking lot near East 14th Avenue unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at 2:17 a.m. by first responders. Meola was a member of the fraternity as of 2017, but he was no longer a member of the organization after it was suspended in 2018, Ron Ransom II, executive director of the national Phi Kappa Psi organization said in a statement.
According to an Ohio State neighborhood safety notice, reports indicate a fight occurred outside a house party after individuals were asked to leave.
Amid the dispute, the suspect — 18-year-old Kintie Mitchell Jr. of the Near East Side — shot Meola and fled on foot, according to a Columbus Police Department release. Mitchell was apprehended and charged with murder, and he will be arraigned Tuesday morning.
Columbus Police do not yet know why Mitchell was at the party. The investigation is ongoing, Sgt. James Fuqua, Columbus Police spokesperson, said.
“We’re going to continue to gather the facts to figure out why he was there, and again not only what led him to a house on campus, but what led him specifically to that gathering and that party,” Fuqua said.
No other injuries were reported, Fuqua said.
Mitchell was indicted for burglary and posted bond Oct. 8.
Phi Kappa Psi had its student organization status revoked in June 2018 and is on disciplinary suspension through August 2022 due to hazing and endangering behavior. Ransom said the facility on Ohio State’s campus serves as a boarding house because of the suspension.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the young man who died as a result of the incident,” the statement reads.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Bella Czajkowski contributed reporting.
This story was updated Oct. 12 at 3:35 p.m. with Mitchell’s recent burglary charges.
This story was updated Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. with the correct spelling of the suspect’s name and the arraignment date.
This story was updated Oct. 11 at 1:17 p.m. to include the names of the victim and suspect as well as the location of the crime.
