Columbus police have ruled a shooting justified as self-defense following an investigation by the Violent Crimes Unit.
The shooting occurred on January 14, 2025 at 4:31 p.m. in the 2000 block of Wynnton Road. 48-year-old Cory Bell was transported to Piedmont Columbus Regional after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Officers determined that the shooting happened inside an apartment at the location. Inside the apartment, officers encountered a female and another male, along with evidence of the incident, including two shell casings and a shattered glass end table.
“The Violent Crimes Unit assumed the investigation and determined that the male involved in the incident acted in self-defense and in defense of the female,” police said. “The investigation revealed that Cory Bell assaulted the female by striking her and knocking her through a glass table. Bell then directed his aggression toward the male, who is physically handicapped.”
The investigation has been closed, and the shooting has been ruled justified as self-defense.
Bell was arrested and transported to the Muscogee County Jail on January 24, 2025. He is charged with exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults/elderly persons, two counts of battery, and criminal trespass.
