Pepper-sprayed teen opened fire at Columbus park, killing one and wounding two, cops say
Two Columbus teens met in a city park to fight over a family insult when one blinded the other with pepper spray, and the one sprayed pulled out a pistol and started shooting.
That’s how 16-year-old Ceonna Turpin fatally shot 17-year-old Markayla Marshall at Columbus’ Primus King Park around 7 p.m. on March 31, as bystanders recorded the fight on their cell phones to post to Facebook, Detective Kevin Baldwin testified Thursday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.
Two others were wounded in the spray of gunfire that followed Marshall’s pepper-spraying Turpin at the park on Staunton Drive off Old Cusseta Road, Baldwin said during Turpin’s preliminary hearing on charges of murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
Shot twice, Marshall was pronounced dead at 7:49 p.m. in the emergency room at Piedmont Columbus Regional, authorities said. The other teens each had a single gunshot wound that was not life threatening, Baldwin said.
Accompanied by an aunt, Turpin surrendered to police around 10 p.m. Monday, the officer said. She was not present for the hearing Thursday, having waived her appearance.
Baldwin said Turpin told police she and Marshall were arguing because Marshall had made a derogatory remark about Turpin’s grandmother, and that’s why they met at the park to fight, with about five other teens watching, some recording the confrontation.
Referring to Turpin as “the juvenile,” Baldwin said, “The juvenile stated that she was pepper-sprayed in her eyes. She stated that she couldn’t see. She stated she removed the firearm and fired it multiple times. She stated that she blacked out.”
Police found multiple 9-millimeter shell casings at the park, but did not recover the gun, the detective said.
He said police got search warrants to seize “multiple” video recordings of the fight, including at least one from Facebook. Two witnesses identified Turpin as the shooter, he said.
Judge Julius Hunter found probable cause to send the case to Muscogee Superior Court. Charged as an adult, Turpin is being held without bond.
Anyone with more information on the shooting should contact Baldwin at 706-225-4337 or kbaldwin@columbusga.org.
This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 12:04 PM.