Man sentenced for bringing pistol to Canal Winchester football game

Published on April 01, 2025

Defendant: Sharod Bowers

A Columbus man who brought a modified Glock 45 to a high school football game was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison.

Sharod Bowers, 19, of Southwest Columbus, pleaded guilty to Illegal Conveyance or Possession of a Deadly Weapon or Dangerous Ordnance in a School Safety Zone with a 6-year Firearm Specification.

Bowers, along with three 17-year-old males, was arrested in August 2023 following a Friday night fight at Canal Winchester High School.

Case Background

On August 18, 2023, Madison Township police officers were working special duty at a Canal Winchester football game against Groveport Madison when they were notified that a fight had broken out among several young men, one of them Bowers.

Observers reported seeing guns, and when police frisked Bowers they found a Glock 45 9mm pistol in the front waistband of his pants. The pistol was equipped with a so-called “Glock switch,” an after-market device that converts the semi-automatic handgun to fully automatic.

In total, police recovered three firearms from the four individuals involved. No shots were fired.