Columbus officers involved in May deadly shooting on 35th Street returned to duty
An investigation into the May 2 police shooting of a wanted man at 35th Street and River Road isn’t complete but Columbus police believe they have enough information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to return the officers involved back to full duty.
Police Sgt. Michael Peyton and Cpl. Larry Daniel were taken off administrative leave with pay and returned to full duty last month, although the GBI still has the investigation into the death of 24-year-old Damion “Dae-Dae” Collier, Police Maj. J.D. Hawk of the Investigative Services Bureau said Thursday.
The department has received some information from the GBI in the investigation. A separate investigation was conducted by the department’s Office of Professional Standards.
“What happen is they end up giving us an indication that everything is OK and that is when we go with it,” Hawk said of the GBI.
The officers would still be on administrative leave with pay if there wasn’t information from the GBI.
“If the GBI hadn’t given us a nod, they would still be out,” Hawk said.
Nelly Miles, director of public affairs for the GBI, said they are probably a few weeks away from wrapping up the case.
“The case is in its final stages of completion,” Miles said. “It will then be turned over to the DA for review. “
Peyton and Daniel were part of the Columbus Police Department’s Fugitive Unit when both officers fired their 9 mm pistols shortly before 5 p.m. after Collier pulled a handgun as they surrounded a Ford Fiesta driven by a 28-year-old woman. Collier was taken to the Piedmont Columbus Regional midtown campus where he was pronounced dead of multiple gunshot wounds at 5:23 p.m., the GBI and the Muscogee County coroner said.
None of the officers was injured in the shooting. The driver of the Fiesta wasn’t shot but she was treated for undisclosed minor injuries at the same hospital.
Collier was wanted in the Easter morning shooting death of Alec Spencer, 24, at the Night Life club, an unlicensed business at 480 Andrews Road and a second homicide. He was identified as the shooter in the club incident where three men were shot. Police had outstanding warrants on him for aggravated assault, convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime when the officers observed him at the Wilson Homes public housing complex and followed him after he entered the Ford Fiesta.
The second homicide was the April 28 shooting of Darrell Boggans, 43, on Winston Road. Boggans and another man were victims in the April 1 shooting at the nightclub.
In the Fugitive Unit, both detectives are veteran law enforcement officers. Daniel of Columbus has been with the department almost 30 years. He was recognized as the April Officer of the Month for his demeanor and calm nature in helping a female juvenile lead police to a 19-year-old suspect who crashed a speeding 2006 Ford Crown Victoria into another car Jan. 18 on Steam Mill Road, killing a 37-year-old woman.
This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 5:58 PM.