Homicide Victims Brick Memorial vandalized Monday afternoon

The Homicide Brick Memorial in Columbus was vandalized at an unspecified time Monday afternoon.

The office of parks and recreation alerted the District Attorney Victim-Witness Office, which has overseen the memorial since the mid-90s, around 4 p.m. Monday regarding the vandalism.

“We’re going to do whatever we have to do to bring it back, not only to its former glory, but we’ll even make it better,” said Director of Victim Services Shelly Hall.

Hall doesn’t know how that will happen, but says it is her intent.

“It’s disheartening that someone would commit that type of disheartless crime,” said Mayor Skip Henderson.

“It’s just not going to be tolerated, we’re going to do whatever we can to try to identify who did it and hold them accountable.”

Over 200 bricks have stood to memorialize homicide victims in the Columbus community since its founding, and new bricks are added each year as families wish to commemorate their loved ones. Some of the earliest brick placements memorialize people such as Ann Johnson Curry, who was killed in August 1985 along with her two children.

If anyone has any information regarding the vandalism, please call the Columbus Police Department tip line at 706-653-3188.

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 11:51 AM.