Man sentenced for bringing modified pistol to Canal Winchester football game

Posted on 4/1/2025

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.