Deadly Ohio AutoZone robbery was latest target of 'enterprise,' investigators say
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Delaware County deputies have arrested a third suspect they connected to a string of robberies in 2023, including one that turned deadly in Polaris South.
Anthony Blakely, 27, was apprehended Wednesday in connection to a robbery that turned fatal on Aug. 24 at an AutoZone store on Sancus Boulevard. When 43-year-old customer Alejandro Fajardo-Torres tried to intervene, one of the suspects shot and killed him. Blakely is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Jan. 16.
A total of 17 charges have piled up against Blakely, Zackeyis Davis and Darius Wynn, who are suspected of committing multiple robberies in 2023. A Delaware County grand jury indicted all three on Dec. 21 for the following charges:
- Zackeyis Davis – Murder, aggravated murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery (2), felonious assault, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
- Darius Wynn – Murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery (2), engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
- Anthony Blakely – Murder, aggravated murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
At the time of the August murder, police believed that the three men were linked to a string of robberies in which they reportedly targeted area auto parts retail stores.
Court documents categorized the three suspects as an enterprise, along with other unidentified individuals, who conducted or participated in the robberies between May 14, 2023, and September 16, 2023.
The indictment stated that Davis, 22, and Wynn, 28, allegedly robbed a Los Mariachis three times on May 14, June 13, and Aug. 11. One week later, investigators suspect the pair robbed a Burger King.
Days later on Aug. 21, the three suspects reportedly set their sights on AutoZone stores. Investigators said they stole from the AutoZone on East Dublin Granville Road, and on Aug. 22 moved to hit the AutoZone on Westerville Road.
The three men entered their next target, the Sancus Avenue AutoZone near Polaris Fashion Place, on Aug. 24, according to investigators. Columbus police originally responded to that incident, after dispatchers received calls reports of shots fired at 5:11 p.m. that day. Eight minutes later, emergency crews found 43-year-old Alejandro Fajardo-Torres and pronounced him dead.
Columbus police said that Fajardo-Torres, a customer at the time of the incident, was attempting to stop the robbery when he was shot inside the store. Family members said the victim was a regular customer at the store. A second victim was hospitalized with a blunt-force trauma injury.
Davis, who was arrested in September and issued a $5 million bond for murder, aggravated murder, and felonious assault, was issued a $10 million bond Wednesday on all seven charges. Wynn had his bond elevated from $3 million to $5 million. They are next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 13.