Man, 24, was fatally shot during party on Hodges Road

A Columbus man was gunned down early today after a dispute erupted during a party at his home on Hodges Road, authorities said .

Richard Collier, 24, was pronounced dead of a gunshot at 2:53 a.m. at 5908 Hodges Road, the scene of the shooting , said Muscogee County Chief Deputy Coroner Freeman Worley. Collier’s body will be transported to the crime lab in Atlanta for an autopsy.

Anna Brannock, a friend of Collier since high school, said there were about 20 to 30 people at the house when some type of dispute occurred on the back porch. “He was trying to make sure there was not any fights starting at his house,” she said. “It was just a house party.”

Once the shot was fired, most of the people left except for about five. Brannock, who works in the medical field, said she performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for about 10 minutes but wasn’t successful. He had a gunshot wound to the chest.

Madison Miller, also a friend of the victim for six years, said they realized that Collier was gone when blood ran out his mouth.

“Watching your friend die is the worst thing ever,” Brannock said.

Detectives spent most of the morning interviewing people who were at the gathering. Brannock said police interviewed those who remained at the house. “We just left the police station,” she said about 10:20 a.m. Saturday. “They interrogated all of us,” she said.

The women said most of the people at the party were friends but there may have been some who weren’t invited. “You know how people invite other people that don’t know,” Brannock said. “That is how it happened.”

A patrol officer was on the scene until about 10:40 a.m. when the yellow tape was removed from the front of the house.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Man, 24, was fatally shot during party on Hodges Road."