Man carjacked victim at gunpoint outside of Circle K, Columbus police say
More than two years after a man was carjacked at the Circle K gas station on Floyd Road, the 41-year-old accused of the incident appeared in Columbus Recorder's Court Thursday to face charges.
Shannon Fortune pleaded not guilty to carjacking, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was ordered held in the Muscogee County Jail after being denied bond on most of his charges.
Judge Julius Hunter bound the case over to Superior Court. Columbus police were called to the Circle K at 1040 Floyd Road on February 10, 2015, to investigate a carjacking. The victim said he was putting air in his tire when a man aimed a silver pistol at his head and demanded the $11,000 vehicle.
The suspect then stole the car and fled away from the scene. No one was injured.
Police Lt. Joe Hart said deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office spotted the vehicle the following day at a home on Lee Road 224 in Smiths Station, Ala. They spoke to a resident, who initially told officials he knew nothing about the vehicle.
"Then he stated he 'couldn't cover for him anymore,'" Hart testified.
Police said he went on to explain that his cousin, Fortune, dropped the stolen car off at his home. Officials searched the vehicle and found a huge bottle of iced tea. They collected fingerprints off of the bottle that belonged to Fortune, Hart told the court.
Officials conducted a photo lineup of multiple people, including Fortune. The victim identified him as his attacker.
Authorities then issued warrants for Fortune, who was incarcerated in Alabama at the time for an unrelated incident that happened after the carjacking. He was extradited to Columbus after serving a sentence in Alabama.
Hart said Fortune's felon gun possession charge stems from two previous convictions, including a 1994 conviction in Florida for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
Sarah Robinson: 706-571-8622, @sarahR_92
This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Man carjacked victim at gunpoint outside of Circle K, Columbus police say."