GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting At Georgia Mall

According to information released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Friday, December 22, 2023, at 6:10 p.m. officers from the Columbus Police Department were dispatched to Peachtree Mall, located at 945 Manchester Expressway in Columbus in reference to a person breaking into vehicles in the parking lot of the mall and the individual had been reported to have pointed a gun at witnesses.

Officers responded to the mall parking lot and observed a 19-year-old male identified as Dwayne Neely, of Columbus. Reports indicate that Neely fired shots at the responding officers and Columbus police exchanged fire with Neely. The GBI reports Neely was struck several times.

First aid was provided to Neely and he was transported to Piedmont Midtown Medical Center in Columbus for treatment of his injuries. The injuries are listed as non-life-threatening.

The Columbus Police Department requested the GBI to investigate the officer-involved shooting as an independent body. The findings of that investigation will be turned over the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for review upon completion.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the GBI regional investigative office in Columbus at (706)565-7888. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling (800)597-TIPS or online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.