Man pleads not guilty to September shooting at RiverWalk

An ongoing conflict concerning ducks may have been what led Tacquan Williams to allegedly shoot a homeless man Sept. 21 at the Chattahoochee RiverWalk, according to testimony today in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

Williams, 27, of Columbus pleaded not guilty to multiple charges stemming from the incident reported to have happened at the pavilion near First Avenue and 22nd Street between 4:30 and 5:15 p.m.

Officials said they were called to the Columbus Midtown Medical Center around 5:30 p.m. that day after the victim arrived at the hospital with a single gunshot wound to the groin area.

The victim, who was since been treated and released, said a man he’s seen at the RiverWalk multiple times shot him with a black 9mm handgun. He didn’t know his attacker’s name at the time but was confident he would be able to identify him if he saw him again, said Sgt. Anthony Locey with the CPD Robbery/Assault Unit.

Officials then responded to the crime scene, where they located a single 9mm shell casing and at least two witnesses.

A man who allegedly saw the gunman aim the weapon but fled before the shooting said there was an ongoing conflict between the suspect and victim that have may have led to the incident. He also didn’t know the assailant’s name but a woman told police later that week that Williams was the shooter.

“There has been a problem between them two in the past where Mr. Williams would like to shoot at ducks on the RiverWalk,” Locey testified. “(The victim) was vocal about that not being the right thing to do.”

Locey said detectives showed the victim a six-person photo lineup that included the defendant’s mugshot. He positively identified Williams as the shooter, police testified.

Williams was then issued multiple warrants for his arrest, including aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

He was arrested around Thursday in Clayton County Jail, where he was incarcerated on unrelated charges.

Williams, who didn’t testify in court, pleaded not guilty to each charge. He was ordered held in the Muscogee County Jail under bonds totaling $20,000.

Judge Michael Cielinski bound the case over to Superior Court.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Man pleads not guilty to September shooting at RiverWalk."