COLUMBUS — A Columbus man was shot and killed by police Tuesday after officers tracked him to a parking lot following a homicide report earlier that morning.
What happened: Columbus police were searching for 33-year-old Jerome Marquis Willis after he was reported leaving the scene of a homicide on June 23. Officers found Willis around 11:40 a.m. in a parking lot in the 3800 block of Baker Plaza Drive. Officers gave verbal commands. Police say Willis did not comply. Officers then released a police dog to take Willis into custody. Willis pulled out a gun, fired toward the dog, and kept pointing the gun at the officers. Officers fired multiple shots, hitting Willis multiple times. Willis was pronounced dead at the scene.
Injuries: One officer was treated at a local hospital and released. The police dog was first treated at a local veterinary hospital, then airlifted to an emergency veterinary hospital. Willis’ body will be taken to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy.
The investigation: The GBI, the state’s top criminal investigative agency, is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting. When complete, the case file will go to the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, the local prosecutor’s office, for review.
Tips: Anyone with information can contact the GBI’s Columbus office at (706) 565-7888. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-8477, online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
