Students and staff were in Muscogee school building during officer-involved shooting
A “small number” of Muscogee County School District students and staff were inside a school building when officers shot and killed a murder suspect Tuesday on the property, according to a MCSD news release on Wednesday.
“On Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026, the Muscogee County School District (MCSD) was notified of a law enforcement incident at the former Muscogee Elementary School campus on Baker Plaza Drive, which houses the MCSD Repository, Robotics Program, and the Family Resource Center,” MCSD’s news release said.
“The incident resulted in a significant law enforcement presence on the property while authorities secured the scene and conducted their investigation.
“At the time of the incident, a small number of students and staff were inside the building. All students and staff remained safe, and students were reunited with their families without incident,” the news release said.
MCSD police assisted law enforcement during the incident, the release also said. Further questions were referred to the Columbus Police Department or Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The officer-involved shooting at the school building Tuesday afternoon was related to a homicide that morning in a Dollar General at the intersection of Victory Drive and Marathon Drive, where Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said a customer fatally shot a cashier in the head.
“We got it on video,” Columbus Police Chief Stoney Mathis said, “and it’s just a cold-blooded murder.”
An officer and a dog in a K9 unit were struck by gunfire, according to Mathis. The officer injured in the shooting was not the K9’s handler, he said.
Mathis said the dog was airlifted to Auburn. The officer is expected to be OK.
Bryan identified the victim of the homicide in the Dollar General as Alexis Hill, 44.
Deputy Coroner Dustin Harrelson pronounced Hill dead at the scene at 10:46 a.m., according to Bryan.
Bryan identified the suspect as Jerome Willis, 33. He said Willis was shot in the parking lot of the former Muscogee Elementary School campus.
Harrelson pronounced Willis dead at the scene at 1:16 p.m., according to Bryan.
This story was originally published June 24, 2026 at 8:40 AM.
