Crime

Suspect linked to Columbus Dollar General homicide is dead. Officer and K9 unit shot

Columbus Police Chief Stoney Mathis said an officer-involved shooting has occurred on Baker Plaza Drive that’s connected to a homicide Tuesday morning at a Dollar General in Columbus.

Mathis said the suspect linked to the homicide is dead. A woman was fatally shot at a Dollar General off Victory Drive in Columbus.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation, Mathis said.

CPD public information officer Brittany Santiago said officers were called to the scene on Baker Plaza Drive around 12:55 p.m.

An officer and a K9 unit have been struck by gunfire, according to Mathis. The officer injured in the shooting was not the K9’s handler, he said.

Mathis said the K9 is being airlifted to Auburn. The officer is expected to be OK.

A scene on Macon Road and Reese Road is connected to the incident for the helicopter to airlift the K9 to Auburn, according to Santiago.

Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan identified the victim of the homicide at Dollar General as Alexis Hill, 44, who was a cashier at the store.

Bryan said a man came in to buy hamburger buns that rang up as $1.58 and handed Hill $2 crumbled up.

As Hill went to straighten the bills to put them in the drawer, the suspect stepped to his right and shot her in the head, according to Bryan.

Hill was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:46 a.m. by Deputy Coroner Dustin Harrelson, according to Bryan.

This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 3:34 PM.

Kelby Hutchison
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Kelby Hutchison is the breaking news reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. Originally from Dothan, Alabama, Kelby grew up frequently visiting Columbus to eat at Country’s BBQ in the old Greyhound bus station and at Clearview BBQ on River Road. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.A. in criminal justice and a M.A. in journalism. During his studies, Kelby specialized in community journalism.
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