Columbus police arrest homicide suspect nearly three years after fatal shooting

Columbus police have captured a suspect wanted in a homicide that’s almost three years old.

They’ve charged Labrandon Rashard “Big Baby” Brown in the April 30, 2017, fatal shooting of 26-year-old Lavonta Thomas, who was found mortally wounded around 11 p.m. near 1414 24^th St.

Thomas later died from his wounds at Piedmont Columbus Regional.

Police obtained a warrant charging Brown, 25, with murder on June 5, 2017. The department’s special operations unit arrested Brown on Friday.

His preliminary hearing in Columbus Recorder’s Court is set for this coming Friday at 2 p.m.

Anyone with more information on the case is asked to contact Sgt. Michael Dahnke at 706-225-5916 or mdahnke@columbusga.org.

Columbus had more than 40 homicides in 2017, a recent peak, according to the Muscogee County coroner.

This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 11:47 AM.

Tim Chitwood

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

706-571-8508

Tim Chitwood is from Seale, Alabama, and started as a police beat reporter with the Ledger-Enquirer in 1982. He since has covered Columbus’ serial killings and other homicides, following some from the scene of the crime to trial verdicts and ensuing appeals. He also has been a Ledger-Enquirer humor columnist since 1987. He’s a graduate of Auburn University, and started out working for the weekly Phenix Citizen in Phenix City, Ala.