New information from Georgia Department of Corrections records provides additional background on the man identified in Tuesday’s officer-involved shooting in Columbus.

Officials have identified the suspect as Jerome Markee Willis, born in 1993.

According to state records, Willis most recently completed a prison term at Dooly State Prison, with a listed release date of May 21, 2026, the same date he was recorded as becoming “inactive” in the system.

GDC records show Willis has multiple prior convictions in Muscogee County, including robbery, terroristic threats, simple assault, and obstruction of law enforcement officers. His most serious conviction includes a 20-year robbery sentence stemming from a 2007 case.

Court records also indicate additional convictions dating back more than a decade, including charges involving firearms, drug possession, and repeated obstruction of law enforcement.

According to incarceration history, Willis had been in and out of Georgia correctional facilities multiple times since 2010.

Authorities say Willis was killed Tuesday during an officer-involved shooting on Baker Plaza Drive after Columbus police officers encountered him while searching for the suspect in the fatal shooting of Alexis Hill at a Dollar General on Victory Drive.

During that encounter, a Columbus police officer and a police K-9 were shot and injured. Both are expected to survive.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

This remains an active investigation.