Columbus Man Convicted in Hilltop Bar Shooting That Killed Two

Posted on 7/15/2025

Defendant: Anthony Davis

A Columbus man faces at least 26 years in prison for a 2022 shooting in a Hilltop bar that killed two men and wounded two others.
 
Anthony Davis, 25, was convicted today on four counts of murder, one count of aggravated murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of inducing panic. All counts carry a three-year firearm specification. Judge Stephen McIntosh acquitted Davis of an additional count of aggravated murder, and an additional count of felonious assault was dismissed prior to the court trial. 
 
Davis faces a minimum of 26 years to life in prison and a maximum term of life without parole. His sentencing is set for September 8.
 
Davis is also due back in court September 8 to face two more counts of murder and one count of felonious assault in an unrelated homicide from 2021.
 
Case Background
 
Shortly after 2 a.m. on July 16, 2022, Columbus police were called to a sports bar in the 3400 block of Sullivant Avenue on a report of a shooting. Inside the bar, officers found three men suffering from gunshot wounds. Daylan Hawkins, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene; another victim, Denver Spencer, 30, later died at a local hospital.
 
Investigators determined that after a fight broke out inside the bar, Davis watched from afar before walking over, pulling out a gun and firing multiple times at Spencer. At the time, Spencer was walking away from the fight and carrying a pool stick. Hawkins, who also had been watching the fight, was running out of the bar when he was struck in the back.
 
Davis and another man, Kacee Kenner, fired into the crowd in the bar, striking two additional men in the back and neck.
 
On June 8, 2025, Kenner pleaded guilty to felonious assault, with a three-year firearm specification, and inducing panic, with a one-year firearm specification. He was sentenced to a total of 10 ½ to 12 ½ years in prison.