His breathing tube was removed and he is now able to speak. 5, Melchert was moved out of the intensive care unit to a step down unit, as he was upgraded from critical to stable condition. His parents, Ken and Rebecca Melchert, and his siblings, John and Adriane Melchert, spoke gratefully of the outpouring of support for Alex from the College and his friends back home, and thanked the Wooster community for their well-wishes. Melchert’s family held a press conference at the hospital on Tuesday night. 4, Melchert underwent a third and final surgery, this one to repair damage done to his shoulder by the bullet that entered his right arm. Patrol Sergeant Vincent Shirey reported that Melchert and Johnson did not appear to have known each other before the attack.Ĭourt documents obtained by Channel Five News in Cleveland revealed that Columbus police issued a warrant for Johnson the day prior to the shooting on charges of domestic violence and assault. The same day, Ohio State Highway Patrol declared the shooting a random act. Additionally, faith professionals from the Office of Interfaith Campus Ministries and Westminster Presbyterian Church were on hand to provide support for members of the campus community. At the vigil, coordinated by Brown, Wooster students wrote letters and get-well cards, and joined breakout sessions hosted by the counseling staff from Longbrake Student Wellness Center. 3, a vigil was held in Lowry Center in support of Melchert, who underwent a second surgery earlier that day, this one focused on repairing his diaphragm.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Scott Brown drove to Columbus to be at the hospital until Melchert’s parents arrived from Wisconsin Out of the six shots, five bullets were lodged in his abdomen and another one struck his right arm. Melchert was transported to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where he was admitted in critical condition and underwent surgery in order to stop the severe bleeding. Troopers found Johnson dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

State troopers chased the vehicle into Richland County, where they deployed road spikes to stop the car, which then spun out into the guardrail.

confronted Melchert behind his car and shot him six times before fleeing the scene in a car heading northbound on I-71. Upon exiting the restroom, a man - who would later be identified by police as 25-year-old Shawn Johnson of Westerville, Oh. Melchert, who is from Neenah, Wis., was traveling back to Wooster from Columbus with a friend when he stopped at a rest stop in order to use the restroom.

2, Alexander Merchert ’20 was shot at a rest-stop off of Interstate 71 in Delaware County, Ohio, approximately 60 miles south of campus.

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