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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man who pleaded guilty in the death of a 4-year-old boy who was struck with a stolen Kia could spend nearly 20 years in prison.
Tyrell Shute, a registered sex offender who ran over the boy while evading police, pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter, receiving stolen property and failure to comply. In Franklin County Common Pleas Court, he was sentenced to serve a minimum of 14 years in prison. His sentence could reach 19½ years pending behavior while serving time.
On July 22, 2023, officers attempted a traffic stop before Shute, 25, sped off and drove over a grassy area behind Canonby Place, toward Greenfield Drive in the South Franklinton neighborhood. As Shute veered off the road, he struck the boy, who was playing outside the Southpark Apartments while accompanied by his mother.
Investigators said Shute, who was driving with a suspended license, then got out of the Kia after hitting the boy and ran north away from the scene. The boy was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:39 p.m.
The homicide sparked outrage from Columbus police, who drove the boy to the hospital in an effort to save him.
“Anger that we have individuals (who) think that it’s OK to steal cars and flee from the police and not comply and drive recklessly and put so many people in danger and as a result, this is the incident that we are left with,” Columbus police Cmdr. Mark Denner said.
At an arraignment hearing, Shute told a Franklin County Municipal judge, “this was not my fault.”
Shute’s sex offender status comes from a case in which the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas confirmed Shute had pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in August 2021. Shute had to register as a Tier 2 sex offender. Court records also indicated Shute’s driver's license was suspended.
He served two months of an 18-month prison sentence and went back to court in June 2022 for a community control violation hearing. His sentence was terminated in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas.
Court documents show that Shute was originally charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of failure to comply with an officer, involuntary manslaughter, receiving stolen property and not stopping after an accident before he pleaded to fewer charges.
At Shute's sentencing hearing, attorney Sam Shamansky told the Common Pleas judge Andy Miller that Shute blamed everyone else for the boy’s death and did not take any responsibility for the crime. He asked for the maximum sentence, while defense attorneys asked for leniency due to the fact that Shute pleaded guilty.
Shamansky also played the harrowing body camera video from officers at the scene, which brought sobbing from the victim’s family. Shute also wiped away tears.
“I don’t see genuine remorse. I see genuine regret because this has fundamentally changed his life for the worse," Miller said. "And I’m sure he regrets his actions because it brought him here today.”
