The coroner's office in Columbus says 55-year-old Billy Howard suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. He died Tuesday night at a hospital after his wife called 911 on the assumption that Howard had suffered a heart attack while clearing snow at their home in a working class neighborhood on the city's southeast side.
Police say Deborah Howard told them she had not heard any gunfire.
Detectives have not identified a motive for the shooting or a suspect and are urging witnesses to come forward.
Howard was a minister at Columbus Christian Center Church and also owned an after-construction cleanup business.
