SPRINGDALE, Ohio — The man accused of shooting and killing a hotel manager in Springdale Tuesday morning was arrested by officers in Columbus, according to an update from Springdale police.
Springdale police said officers were dispatched to the La Quinta Inn along Springfield Pike around 7:19 a.m. for possible shots fired.
When they arrived, officers found 27-year-old Umedjon Rustamjon Mavlonkulov, the night manager at the hotel, dead behind the front desk.
During their investigation, police said they found that the suspect, 28-year-old De'Sean McKinley Buckner, approached the front desk and had a brief conversation with Mavlonkulov. Police said Buckner then pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and shot Mavlonkulov multiple times.
A guest at the La Quinta Inn, who said their room was on the first floor near the front desk, called 911 and told dispatchers they heard three pops that sounded like gunshots, then a person screaming.
Buckner then left the hotel and fled in a dark-colored 2024 Mazda CX-30 eastbound on Crescentville Road, police said.
Wednesday morning, Springdale police said they "obtained critical information" that led them to Buckner's location in Columbus. Columbus police were able to arrest him without incident at around 9:10 p.m. Tuesday night. He is currently being held in the Franklin County Justice Center, awaiting extradition back to Hamilton County.
Court records say the vehicle Buckner was allegedly seen fleeing in was determined to be a rental from Jake Sweeney Mazda, which he rented on September 12 while his personal vehicle was being serviced.
"Mr. Buckner fled the crime scene in the rental vehicle, which he returned to Jake Sweeney, after service was completed on his personal vehicle," read the court documents. "Both vehicles hit on Flock Safety cameras throughout Hamilton County."
Court records said staff at Jake Sweeney told police they'd seen Buckner carrying a gun.
Court records say surveillance footage inside the hotel "captured the whole incident," while the hotel's exterior cameras captured Buckner allegedly fleeing in a vehicle. Court records also say Buckner was spotted on surveillance exiting and entering a hotel room on the building's second floor, and hotel staff were able to provide guest registration documents that showed Buckner had been staying at the inn.
"(I'm) trying to figure out why somebody would even do that," said Bart Henry, a guest at the hotel when the shooting happened. "I just want to know, were they going for money? Food? I mean, I'm down on my luck but I'm not going to go shoot somebody over it."
Springdale police's investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police department at 513-346-5760 or Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.
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