Home Care In Columbia Station, OH

Some residents living in Columbia Station are concerned about an outdoor gun range, they believe could be creating a safety issue.

Residents said the gun range, located on Station Road and owned by Brian Lanckiewicz, is situated on a vacant six-acre parcel that is zoned residential.

Neighbor Phil Rozzi said he's worried the constant open shooting at the property could threaten the safety of homes in the area.

"It happened in Eaton Township, bullets have come through people's houses, just in the last three months," Rozzi said. "It's a risky situation, it's not good. Common sense tells you, you don't do this in a residential area, you just don't."

Rozzi said some 400 new homes have been built in Columbia Township over the past few years, causing the population to swell to more than 7,000.

He thinks Ohio law allowing open shooting in growing townships needs to be re-examined.

John Chomoa, a former Columbia Township zoning inspector, lives across the street from the outdoor gun range.

Chomoa thinks current township usage regulations on parcels zoned residential, but remain vacant, won't allow a gun range on the property.

"There's no building, no one is living there," he said. "It's basically a gun range. Somebody has to get out there and really take charge and say 'hey what's good for our community,' you know, use a little common sense."

But so far, Columbia Township Trustees side with Lanckiewicz, and told News 5 the Ohio Revised Code supersedes township regulations in this case.

Lanckiewicz allowed News 5 onto his property, outlining the safety precautions he's taken, showing us the extensive backstop mound he built to ensure bullets stay on his property.

He has held a meeting with all concerned parties about the gun range six weeks ago and is confident he is operating within the law and all safety guidelines.

"I want people to see that we're not just shooting into the woods," Lanckiewicz said, and, "I will continue to communicate with all my neighbors to see what can be done to make everyone comfortable with what is going on here."

"I will even call my neighbor across the street to let him know when we will be shooting," he added.

Still, Rozzi is asking trustees to review their ruling.

"I don't care how good the range is, it's an exterior range built on a residential piece of property," Rozzi said.

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LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) – Video captured by citizens in one local neighborhood caught gunfire coming from a helicopter, so they called 911 and they turned to the FOX 8 I-Team.

Cell phone video shows a chopper over a private gun range, and you can see tracers as bullets fly. You can also see thick black smoke coming from the range.

Witnesses captured the video last Friday in the Lorain County community of Columbia Station.

So, we investigated. We went one-on-one with the man behind the gunfire from the air.

Late Friday afternoon, witnesses called 911.

“It sounds like there was machine gunfire and a helicopter, so I don’t know what’s going on over there,” one caller reported.

“There was a bunch of shooting and loud explosions,” another reported.

We caught up with Brian Lankiewicz. He owns the range.

“What was actually being fired from the helicopter?” we asked.

“Couple of sub-machine guns that were being fired with tracers. Stuff like that,” he answered.

He confirmed that gunshots came from the helicopter, which set a couple of junk cars on fire. It was all planned for a video to go on social media.

“It was a controlled fire,” Lankiewicz said. “It wasn’t some out of control fire. We were shooting down into the mound which is way safer than shooting from the ground.”

“What permits or permission did you get to fire sub-machine guns from a helicopter?” we asked.

“It’s not illegal to do, but I probably should have let the township know and the sheriff’s department know ahead of time,” he said.

Lanckiewicz says he has 55 acres of property. Go by there and you can see the complex is not completely surrounded by homes, but plenty of people live nearby.

That led us to also ask about the investigations after people called the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Lorain County Sheriff.

Highway Patrol video shows troopers investigating, but the patrol says troopers took no action since they have no jurisdiction on private property.

On that video, you can hear, the gun range owner say, “a Trustee called me and said he shut down the railroad. It’s like, come on, man.”

A captain with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department told us investigators are still gathering information. They are also reaching out to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We, certainly, believe there has to be something that can be done with shooting out of a helicopter,” Captain Robert Vansant said. “This is a long-standing feud between the range and the neighbors.”

In fact, this investigation comes after years of some neighbors complaining about the range. The owner says people can move somewhere else if they want because he believes he’s following the law.

We found law enforcement familiar with that gun range long before now since some officers train there. As we spoke to the owner on Wednesday, we saw officers in the distance firing shots.

But this time, the focus has become not what happened on the gun range, but above it.

We will update this story with any new developments.

COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio (WJW) — Joe Hama has no problem admitting that his three bulldogs have made becoming an empty nester easier.

“They are a part of my family,” he told Nexstar’s WJW, describing them as being “like my kids.”

The Hama family in Columbia Station, Ohio, says they receive packages on a daily basis. Every time, the delivery driver is met with at least one of the three Hama family dogs.

The encounter has always gone well. That is, until this past weekend.

“The outcome could have been horrifying, so thinking about what could have happened does make me frustrated,” Hama explained.

On Saturday morning, the Hama family’s Ring camera captured an encounter that has left them frustrated.

The video shows a delivery driver dropping off a package at their home before being chased back into his car by one of the bulldogs. All three dogs appeared not to be restrained, and two others can be seen following closely behind the first.

Hama admits his dog should not have acted the way it did.

“I think on our part, we learned we need to change our ways,” Hama said.

But what happened next is also behavior Hama wants to see change.

Instead of backing out of the driveway and leaving, this driver did the exact opposite, appearing to drive forward. Hama believes this driver intended to hit his dog.

“If I was to talk to the driver, I’d say I get it. You can be frustrated, but you have to be able to step back from the situation,” Hama said.

On Monday, Hama says his family received several apologies from Amazon’s staff.

The family emphasized that they do not want to see this driver lose his job. They just want him to learn from this situation as they have.

“Absolutely. It was a learning lesson for the both of us,” said Hama.

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to WJW’s request for comment.

NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. is selling his lavish home in Columbia Station, OH, for $3.3 million.

OBJ picked up the Cleveland-area property in 2019 for $1,617,500, during his stint with the Cleveland Browns. Now that he’s split from the team, he needs a buyer for his spectacular mansion.

Massive at 13,800 square feet, the four-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion is filled with eye-popping amenities. Let’s take a look at the top five.

1. Closet or showroom?

We’ve never seen a shoe palace like this. The walk-in showroom features floor-to-ceiling shelves, multicolored lighting, and a next-level athletic shoe collection.

You might think you’ve wandered into a Nike store, with the carpeted, high-ceilinged space that also features clothes racks to better pair your cool kicks with a snazzy outfit. Also, a skateboard collection decorates the wall.

2. Entertainment space

The wide receiver could host an entire NFL team with ease on the main level, which is decorated with sports memorabilia. The floor plan includes a living room, dining room, and eat-in kitchen. There’s even a home theater/golf simulator.

3. Tricked-out lower level

The finished basement offers additional fun with a bar, billiard room, wine storage, and media lounge.

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Watch: Super Bowl Champ Aaron Donald Sells Calabasas Trophy Home for $6.25M

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Need a shave and a haircut? No problem! The media lounge comes with a red barber chair, so you can catch a flick while getting a cut.

There’s also a traditional office with built-in shelves and French doors and what appears to be a video game room, complete with multiple screens and graffiti-style murals.

4. Backyard oasis

The “wow” factor continues outside. The 2.13-acre spread features an outdoor kitchen, swimming pool with waterfalls and a slide, custom dog kennels, and a spacious gym.

5. Convenient locale

Located about 30 minutes from the FirstEnergy Stadium, where the Browns play their home games, the mansion sits in a wooded cul-de-sac.

The 29-year-old OBJ got his start with the New York Giants in 2014 and immediately set the league ablaze with his pass catching. He was traded to the Browns in 2019. After a messy breakup in Cleveland, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won a Super Bowl.

COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio (WOIO) - The Columbia Ballroom will no longer be able to hold events in the near future after a fire ravaged the upper section of the building on Saturday, according to Columbia Township Fire Chief Ray Anthony.

Chief Anthony said the owner of the event hall 24883 Royalton Rd. was soldering a pipe when the insulation caught fire around noon.

The fire spread in the attic area and ran across the upper part of the building, according to the chief.

The chief said the Columbia Township Fire Department got the flames under control around 12:45 p.m., thanks to the help of seven other fire departments that assisted on scene, including Brunswick Hills, Eaton Township, Olmsted Falls, and Strongsville.

Chief Anthony also credited two other factors that helped control the damage: the heavy timbers in the building that did not burn as quickly and the conveniently nearby fire hydrant.

According to the chief, his department relies on tank trucks to put out most of their fires because there are not a lot of hydrants throughout Columbia Station.

After the blaze was out, the chief said crews began to mop up for the investigation stage.

Due to the amount of fire damage, the fire marshal also came to the scene to investigate, according to the chief.

The chief said it is unknown if anyone else was in the building when the fire broke out, but no one was hurt, including firefighters.

Chief Anthony said the cost of the damage is unknown at this time, but it was heartbreaking to see a local landmark catch fire:

“This building has been there a long time. It’s a historical building that’s been known for many years for ballroom dancing and that. So it probably goes back to the ’50s. So it’s been a popular place, and they remodeled it and now they use it as a banquet hall also,” according to Chief Anthony. “Him and his wife have been doing a great job renovating the place and making it what it is today.”

The chief confirmed that the building could not be used for events until the damage is cleaned up, restored, and back to being structurally sound.

Chief Anthony said there weren’t any events planned today, and that he wasn’t sure when the next scheduled event was.

However, another banquet hall in the area reached out to offer help if there was an event scheduled for today at Columbia Ballroom.

Return to 19 News for updates.

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