16-year-old murder suspect charged as adult in Columbus shooting near Young Avenue

A 16-year-old boy was charged with murder in the Oct. 24 shooting near Young Avenue, Columbus police announced Thursday afternoon in a news release.

He is being charged as an adult in the shooting of 19-year-old Dieondre Murphy. His hearing is set for 9 a.m. Saturday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

Columbus police were called to the intersection of 41st Street and Young Avenue around 1:55 a.m. Oct. 24 to investigate a shooting. They found Murphy suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was transported to Columbus Midtown Medical Center, where Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan pronounced him dead at 4:04 a.m.

Three days after his death 23-year-old Lorena Ellen Coleman pleaded not guilty in Columbus Recorder’s Court to giving false statements about the shooting.

Cpl. Kelly Phillips said witnesses indicated that Coleman was in the bedroom where the shots were fired. She initially told detectives that she was in her room alone when she heard gunfire and then ran to the front room, according to police.

Authorities said Coleman later changed her statement and said that others may have been in her bedroom with her when shots rang out in another room. She allegedly changed her statement a third time and reported that shots were fired in her bedroom, but she wasn’t in there at the time.

Officials have yet to release any more details about the homicide.

Anyone with information about Murphy’s death is encouraged to call Sgt. Joseph Hart at 706-225-4375 or josephhart@columbusga.org.

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 4:43 PM with the headline "16-year-old murder suspect charged as adult in Columbus shooting near Young Avenue."