8-year veteran, new officer: What we know about Columbus cops charged in shooting
The Columbus police officers indicted earlier this year in the shooting of a suspect had two very different backgrounds, as one had earned commendations in a several-year patrol career while the other had just joined the force, according to records obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer.
Officer Xavier Perez and Cpl. Kenneth Rammage were indicted in March and charged with aggravated assault and battery, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.
The Feb. 7, 2024, shooting left Jermaine Hernandez injured after he was shot in the hand. The incident happened during a traffic stop, when Hernandez’s car backfired and caused a noise that sounded like gunfire, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Hernandez was pulled over after officers saw him going 100 mph in a construction zone, according to information from the GBI.
The ensuing shooting also left the car riddled with bullet holes.
Columbus police have declined to comment further on the incident or provide additional information. But personnel files for both officers, obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer through an open records request, show their backgrounds and prior experience leading up to the shooting.
What we know about Kenneth Rammage
Rammage was a graduate of Smiths Station High School and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from July 2011 to August 2015, according to his application to join CPD.
He was medically separated from the military due to hearing loss during active service, according to a document sent to CPD from Sgt. Anthony Lappe during Rammage’s application process.
Rammage joined CPD in October 2015 and had been with the department for over eight years when the shooting happened.
Rammage was chosen as CPD’s officer of the month in March 2022. This came after Rammage received a Letter of Commendation for helping to stop a vehicle theft and captured a suspect, according to documents provided by CPD.
Rammage also received Letters of Commendation in November 2023 and June 2024. The June 2024 Letter of Commendation was awarded for Rammage’s action in 2023 in DUI enforcement in Columbus, according to a document in his applicant file.
Rammage had used force against suspects five times previously, including one use of deadly force, according to his personnel file. In those cases of non-deadly force, he has twice taken suspects to the ground and has twice used his taser. He was justified in all of those cases, officials found.
In his one prior use of deadly force, Rammage fired his gun at a suspect who drove a car at him, according to his personnel file.
In Rammage’s “Employee Achievement Assessments” he consistently had a rating of “meets standards” or “exceeds standards.”
Disciplinary actions against Rammage
Rammage has been disciplined a handful of times as a CPD officer. He was suspended for a day for sideswiping a yellow pole in a parking lot on Milgen Road in 2019 while in his patrol car. Rammage also received a letter of reprimand in 2020 after not properly handcuffing a suspect who freed his right hand.
The suspect made suicidal threats and appeared to try to stab himself with a ballpoint pen, according to the reprimand.
Rammage also was suspended in two incidents where he was found sleeping in his patrol car.
Lawyers representing Rammage did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication.
What we know about Xavier Perez
Perez graduated from Chattahoochee High School in 2020, according to his CPD application.
Perez had been employed by CPD for less than a year at the time of Hernandez’s shooting, his personnel file says.
A criminal background check conducted by CPD found no arrests for Perez, but he admitted to an unreported arrest during a polygraph test, according to his applicant file.
Perez said he was arrested at age 15 or 16 after he got into a fight, according to his personnel file.
“He was arrested as a juvenile and his records were sealed. Mr. Perez stated he didn’t report the arrest because his records were sealed,” the file says.
Perez scored a B on his psychological exam, which was described as “suitable.”
Perez passed the physical qualifications needed to be an officer in the department, but it took him 14 minutes and 26 seconds to run a mile. Perez disclosed in one application document he had previously been denied military service for being overweight.
Perez received a “needs improvement” rating in the “communication” section of his employee performance evaluation.
“Officer Perez’s ability to articulate thoughts and ideas is not always clear, and he has difficulty adapting his communication style to different audiences, especially with his writing skills,” his evaluation said. “Officer Perez should focus on improving his written communication skills and ensuring that he is consistent in providing timely responses to messages and inquiries.”
The essay Perez turned in for his application showed persistent writing issues.
“What made me want to become a police officer of the Columbus Police Department, is that I see low motivation in people,” Perez wrote. “Out of the 20 years of me living, I see many people just give up and do nothing. I believe if I move forward with this opportunity I can make people happy and change their life’s. What I also see is that more and more people do not respect the law. This can create chaos, also putting in danger unnecessary turns people who don’t need it. I believe law is is the key to order and duty. Like oil to car that makes it running. I also I believe this job will help me to gain more discipline and structure. Columbus is very good city, just with bad and awful whom like the chaos and making bad leadership choices. Columbus needs leaders and I believe with the right training my peers and I can become great leaders in this small city. Policing is not easy which I understand but however I’ll do my best on the force upholding law and make a safe environment to whom I protect serve.”
Perez did meet standards for all other sections of his evaluation and received an “excellent” rating in the “dependable” category.
David Helmick, Perez’s lawyer, defended his client’s actions in the incident when asked for comment.
“Officer Perez is a dedicated law enforcement officer who joined the Columbus Police Department as a recruit in June 2023, and was nearing the completion of his mandate training on February 2, 2024,” Helmick said. “Like countless officers throughout the country at any moment, Officer Perez faced significant dangers and unknowns while determining how to best protect citizens, himself and other officers in a rapidly evolving, volatile situation.
“Officer Perez responded reasonably on the scene through split-second judgments, and he acted in accordance with his training. Officer Perez rejects the attempt to second guess his actions in hindsight, long after the encounter concluded.”
Both Columbus officers filed for immunity
Both Rammage and Perez have filed for immunity in the shooting of Hernandez, according to court documents.
Helmick defended Perez’s actions in legal documents for that appeal.
“Off. Perez’s actions were justified under Georgia law and, therefore, Off. Perez is entitled to immunity from prosecution,” Helmick wrote in the appeal.
Perez’s immunity motion claims the vehicle Hernandez was driving made a “gunfire sound.” Perez believed he was under fire and responded by shooting, according to the motion.
Rammage’s motion for immunity, filed by his lawyer James Dahlquist, says he was on patrol with Perez when they conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Hernandez was driving.
Rammage “reasonably believed that his use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm was necessary to prevent a forcible felony or prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or Officer Perez in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 16-3-21(a),” the motion said.
The motion said Rammage had no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground.
The immunity hearing for both Rammage and Perez is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 18 before Judge Bobby Peters, according to court documents.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated regarding the reason for Perez’s arrest as a teenager.
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 12:59 PM.