Thomas Street shooting leaves one dead, one sought in homicide

A shooting in the 2700 block of Thomas Street left one man dead Thursday and one sought for the homicide in East Wynnton, Columbus police said.

Darnell Jackson, 38, of Phenix City was pronounced dead at 8:03 p.m. in the emergency room at Midtown Medical Center, said Muscogee County Chief Deputy Coroner Freeman Worley. Jackson’s body will be transported to the crime lab in Decatur for an autopsy.

Police Lt. Joseph Hart said police received the call on a shooting shortly before 8 p.m. Officers were still on the scene after 10 p.m. as part of the investigation.

A woman who declined to give her name because a gunman is still on the loose said she was inside her home having a cocktail when she heard a gunshot. She ran outside and saw two men, both dressed in dark clothing as they fled on foot.

A second witness said he saw one run north between two houses across the street while the other ran east on Thomas Street. The victim was found lying on the ground and bleeding near a white truck in the yard, he said. “I stayed with him,” he said of the man with a gunshot to his stomach. “He was gasping for air.”

The witness identified the man as a frequent visitor to the neighborhood to see his brother.

A section of Thomas Street remains closed, with more than a dozen police officers and investigators on the scene. About 30 people wandered outside their homes to watch police scour the area, searching for clues in connection with the shooting and talking to possible witnesses.

Jackson is the seventh homicide recorded by the Muscogee Coroner’s Office this year and sixth investigated by Columbus police. His death follows the Feb. 9 shooting of Nicholas Xavier Morris, 20, in the parking lot of the Lucky Food Mart at 2026 Floyd Road.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 8:24 PM with the headline "Thomas Street shooting leaves one dead, one sought in homicide."