The man who Columbus police believe fired a single gunshot and struck the windshield of an occupied vehicle turned himself in Friday morning, according to Assistant Police Chief Joe Johnson.
James Demont Douglas, 30, of 44 Swedenburg Circle in Columbus, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Police responded to a shot fired at the intersection of Main Street and Ninth Street South at around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday. According to police, the late-night incident started at the workplace when Douglas and Bernard Antonio Harris got into an argument that carried over to the Columbus streets. Police said the two men were at the intersection in their vehicles but got out and began a physical altercation in the street. Things escalated when Harris tried to run away and Douglas fired a single shot at him, but missed.
Police took Douglas into custody after an incident, but he was released a short time later due to complications regarding where he would stay overnight.
Douglas was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle for injuries to his left eye and left ankle stemming from the incident, police said. He was treated and discharged.
But instead of being transported to jail, authorities released Douglas because there was not a proper holding cell at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center to accommodate his injuries.
The Columbus Police Department does not have a jail, so the city pays the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office to house its prisoners.
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