Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan has identified the man killed in Tuesday\u2019s officer-involved shooting as 33-year-old Jerome Willis.<\/p>\n
According to Columbus Police Chief Stoney Mathis and Coroner Bryan, Willis was the suspect in the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Alexis Hill, who was killed earlier in the day inside a Dollar General store on Victory Drive.<\/p>\n
Following the homicide, Columbus police launched a search for the suspect. Officers later located Willis on Baker Plaza Drive near the former Muscogee County Elementary School.<\/p>\n
Authorities said that during the encounter, gunfire was exchanged between officers and the suspect. One Columbus police officer sustained a superficial gunshot wound. A police K-9 named Havoc was also shot and airlifted to Auburn for emergency treatment. Officials confirmed both the officer and the K-9 are expected to survive.<\/p>\n
Willis was killed during the exchange of gunfire.<\/p>\n
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now leading the investigation into the incident, which is standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings in the state.<\/p>\n
Officials say the investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to review all evidence and determine the full sequence of events surrounding both the homicide and the subsequent encounter with police.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"