GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Columbus, GA

Columbus, Muscogee County, GA (February 7, 2024) – At the request of the Columbus Police Department, GBI agents are investigating an officer involved shooting in Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia. Jermaine Hernandez, age 26, of Phenix City, Alabama, was shot and injured. No officers were injured in this incident.

The preliminary information indicates on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at about 8:05 a.m., Columbus Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on Manchester Expressway on a car traveling about 100 MPH in a construction zone. Hernandez was identified as the driver of the car. During the traffic stop, Hernandez’s car reportedly backfired, causing a loud noise that sounded like gunfire. The officers then shot at Hernandez multiple times. Hernandez was hit one time.

Officers and EMS personnel provided first aid on the scene, and EMS personnel took Hernandez to a local hospital for treatment.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Field Office in Columbus at 706-565-7888. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the case file will be given to the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.