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 an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
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