Charge dropped against woman shot during deadly Columbus police chase

The reckless abandonment charge filed against the 19-year-old mother who was shot by a Columbus police officer following Sunday’s deadly car chase was dismissed Thursday morning in Recorder’s Court.

Hannah Wuenschel pleaded not guilty to stealing the vehicle that authorities said she was traveling in with 18-year-old Hunter Tillis and 17-year-old Christian Redwine. The two-state chase ended in Phenix City, where Redwine was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer.

During testimony Thursday in Recorder’s Court, Officer Matthew Fuller said he was called Sunday morning to Fred Levins’ Cherokee Avenue home following a report of a stolen vehicle. Levins, Redwine’s grandfather, said he woke up around 3:30 a.m. and noticed his Pontiac G-6 was missing from the residence that he shares with Redwine.

Redwine, Tillis and Wuenschel were gone and Wuenschel’s 11-month old son was still in the bedroom alone.

“He said that he knew they took the vehicle, because they were the only people missing and they knew where he kept the keys for his vehicle,” the officer testified.

Levins told the court he didn’t know Wuenschel had left the baby there until he woke up and found him.

Fuller said he issued warrants for auto theft on all three teens, and issued an additional warrant for reckless abandonment on Wuenschel.

According to a news release, Columbus police were on Gentian and Reese roads near Columbus State University’s main campus when they located the Pontiac around 4:30 a.m.

Police said they initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle accelerated. The chase went into downtown Columbus where the driver, identified as Redwine, crossed the 13th Street bridge into Alabama.

Officials identified the passengers in the Pontiac as Wuenschel and Tillis, Redwine’s cousin.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren said Phenix City police joined the car chase. Officers with both agencies pursued the vehicle, turning right onto Opelika Road, Smith said. The car got on U.S. 80, then U.S. 280 and headed back toward Columbus.

“At that point, our guys broke off the chase because we thought it was going back to Columbus,” Phenix City Police Chief Ray Smith said Monday.

Boren said Redwine exited at Riverchase Drive, the last Alabama exit before the state line. The Pontiac went off the road at Riverchase Drive.

Columbus Police Officer 1st Class Allan Brown, who had seen the car exit on Riverchase, got out of his vehicle and encountered three suspects, according to a report. He fired an unknown number of shots from his weapon, police said.

Russell County District Attorney Kenneth Davis said the officer had reason to believe that Redwine was using the vehicle as a weapon.

But defense attorney Mike Garner, who is representing Wuenschel, said Redwine was only putting the vehicle into reverse to get out of a hole.

“After the initial several shots, my client got out of the car and was crawling back,” Garner said. “She was shot a couple of times, and she asked the officer to stop shooting.”

He said he was told that the officer continued to shoot.

“She got in back of the officer and was, again, asking the officer to please stop,” Garner said. “The officer emptied his magazine. Then he reloaded, put another magazine in his gun...and then emptied a second magazine into the car.”

Garner said Redwine was shot seven times, his client two or three times and Tillis at least twice. Officials have yet to confirm.

Sumbry said Redwine was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday at 12:09 p.m.

Tillis and Wuenschel were transported to the Midtown Medical Center in Columbus to be treated for gunshot wounds. Records indicate Tillis sustained a gunshot wound to the mouth and Wuenschel had at least one gunshot wound to the arm.

“It’s hard to be imagine a more aggravated of excessive force by a police officer than this,” Garner said. “It looks like he had the intention to kill Redwine no matter what, and that’s what we find so offensive about this incident.”

Judge Michael Cielinski dismissed the single count of reckless abandonment after Garner said the charge only applies to situations where abandonment leads to the child’s death.

“I don’t know whether they just got the wrong code section, whether it was some sort of error or whether they were just in a rush to charge her,” Garner testified.

Garner said he’s thankful the theft charge wasn’t dismissed, because it allows him and his client to closely follow the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s investigation into the shooting. He said he plans to file a lawsuit against the city of Columbus for what he described as “excessive force.”

“We’re charged with felony, and we’re able to go through the court system and have subpoena power,” he said. “We’re going to use that subpoena power to prosecute a civil case.”

Garner said the lawsuit will be filed following the criminal case.

“When you sue the city, you have to give them notice,” he said. “We can’t do anything until these criminal charges are disposed of, so we’re really hampered in our efforts to get the information about what happened.”

Garner said Thursday morning that authorities seized the vehicle and have not given the family access to it.

“We’re anxious to count the number of bullet holes in that car, and we’re anxious to know the number of shots that were fired,” Garner said.

Wuenschel was released from the Muscogee County Jail on a $5,000 bond by Thursday afternoon, three days after Tillis was freed on bond.

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Charge dropped against woman shot during deadly Columbus police chase."