Coroner names man killed in shootout at Columbus Pawn Shop

Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan has released the name of the man killed Wednesday afternoon in a shootout at the Columbus Pawn Shop on Fort Benning Road.

The victim was identified as 68-year-old Joseph Howard Johnson III, a part-time employee at the business. His body was sent to the Georgia Bureau crime lab in Decatur for an autopsy.

Columbus police said a second person inside the 2241 Fort Benning Road pawnshop was wounded. A third was found wounded off Torch Hill Road, just west of the shop, and a fourth was found shot in a vacant lot about a block south of the business.

Maj. J.D. Hawk said authorities were called to Columbus Pawn Shop around 12:05 p.m. Wednesday to investigate a shooting.

“Officers arrived on the scene, at which time it was determined that one individual is deceased. One other individual is shot in the arm, and two other individuals that fled the scene were also shot,” Hawk said. “At this time, we’re in the preliminary investigation, checking on the possibility of anybody else being involved in this, but at this time it appears to be a robbery in progress that went bad.”

The condition of those wounded was not immediately available.

Sarah Robinson: 706-571-8622, @sarahR_92

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Coroner names man killed in shootout at Columbus Pawn Shop."