Man was killed in self-defense during party on Fort Benning Road, police say

The man who was shot Oct. 1 during a party outside of a Fort Benning Road apartment was killed in self-defense, according to Columbus Police.

Robert Bennefield Lewis, 29, was pronounced dead at Midtown Medical Center two days after the shooting, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said.

Authorities were called to the 2300 block of Fort Benning Road around 3:33 a.m. Oct. 1 to investigate a shooting where three people were wounded.

Lt. Ralph Dowe told the Ledger-Enqurier Wednesday morning that further investigation indicated that Lewis was the aggressor. Witnesses said he confronted a person during a party outside of the apartment complex.

Authorities said Lewis accused a man of shooting him about one year ago, but that incident wasn’t reported to police. Officials said they have not collected any evidence to support that claim.

“He produced a gun first and fired a shot,” Dowe said. “The other guy defended himself.”

The man who Lewis accused of shooting him about a year ago returned gunfire, wounding Lewis. Another man was shot in the leg as the two continued to fire their weapons.

Police said Lewis, who was wanted on arrest warrants at the time, wounded both men during the shooting.

Authorities said no charges will be filed against the man who they said killed Lewis in self-defense. He purchased his gun legally and has no criminal history, Dowe added.

The case has been closed.

“We consulted with the District Attorney’s Office and everybody was in agreement with that,” Dowe said.

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Man was killed in self-defense during party on Fort Benning Road, police say."