A Columbus police officer shot and killed a local man early Saturday morning outside a night club.
Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said Raymond Davis, 24, of 2405 Fifth Ave. S., was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle at 1:58 a.m. Authorities with Columbus Police Department confirmed Davis was shot by a patrolman responding to a report of shots fired at Premier Lounge on 22nd Street South at about 1 a.m.
It was the second disturbance call at the Lounge that night, according to a CPD press release. By the time officers arrived, a large crowd had gathered in front of the business. Investigators found a gun at the scene, the release said.
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the case since it involves a local police officer.
Mayor Robert Smith confirmed Sunday that Jared Booth is the officer involved. Smith also said Booth activated his body camera during the incident.
Booth recently returned to duty after serving a 28-day suspension for violating the department’s social media policy by posting inappropriate and sexually explicit material on Facebook.
Assistant Police Chief Fred Shelton said the officer will be placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation, per department policy.
A woman sitting in a nearby car was hit by a stray bullet but is expected to recover, the CPD release said.
Smith, in a written statement, personally pledged to “keep our citizens informed” throughout the investigation.
“I ask our community to not rush to judgment in the shooting of Raymond Davis by a Columbus police officer,” Smith said. “At this point in the investigation, we need patience as investigators continue their work.
“… I pledge continued openness and transparency from our city as we learn new information from MBI. We have distributed information as it has been made available to us and will continue to do so,” he added. “However, these investigations take time to gather and compile accurate information.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.