17 hours into standoff, Muscogee corrections officer still barricaded in Hilton Ave. townhome
Update Sept. 16: The standoff ended around 6:30 a.m. Columbus police took the man into custody and charged him with aggravated assault.
More than 12 hours after Columbus police were called to a Hilton Avenue townhome, officers still are working to extract a man barricaded inside.
The unidentified man is a corrections officer at Muscogee County CI, 7175 Sacredote Lane, a Georgia Department of Corrections-operated facility, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer. His office is not assisting the Columbus Police Department at this time.
The L-E has reached out to the GA DOC for comment and will update this story when one is received.
CPD is in negotiations with the resident, Police Chief Freddie Blackmon told reporters on the scene around 5 p.m. He did not identify the man or share further details about the domestic incident police were called for.
“Right now, the incident is a contained incident,” Blackmon said. “We are utilizing our skill sets and our strategies to bring this to successful resolve.”
Police were called to the complex in the 1300 block of Hilton Avenue around 3:39 a.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, officers were met by a female resident, CPD Chief of Staff Katina Williams told the L-E.
Around 1:40 p.m., Muscogee County’s Incident Management Control mobile site arrived on scene to assist.
Assistant Police Chief Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick told reporters around 4 p.m. that CPD wanted to speak with the man in reference to an incident, but did not add further details or take questions.
Wynnton Arts Academy, 2303 Wynnton Rd #2540, was placed on lockdown as police investigated the incident, Muscogee County School District’s Director of Communications Alicia Lawrence said.
“The school is on lock down, but all students and staff are safe,” Lawrence said. “There is no impending threat at this time.”
Dismissal continued as planned. The district sent information to parents letting them know areas to avoid around the school and asked that guardians pick up any students that usually walk home, Lawrence said.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update when more information is available.
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 9:58 AM.
