One dead, five wounded in shootings across Columbus during first weekend of 2023
The first weekend of 2023 was filled with violence on the streets of Columbus, with at least 6 shooting scenes, 1 shots fired scene, and one armed robbery of business scene.
The violence began on Friday, January 6th, 2023 where one person was shot in the upper body area in the 2800 block of Hawthorne Drive and was placed in critical condition, after being taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional.
The violence then continued into Saturday, January 7th, 2023, when one person died and two others were injured in separate shootings.
The first incident occurred on Bell Street, which was several blocks away from a candlelight vigil in honor of a 23-year-old man who was gunned down and killed in a Lawyers Lane driveway, after several shots were fired leaving no one injured.
Shortly thereafter around 7:30 P.M., authorities responded to 2900 Hawthorne Drive where they found one person with injuries connected to a shooting. The person was treated on scene and was not transported to a hospital for further treatment.
After that shooting, authorities then responded to Wilson Apartments, located at 3400 block of 8th Avenue, where they one person with a gunshot wound to the upper body. The person was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional for further treatment.
Within about an hour, authorities responded to Springcreek Apartments, located in the 8000 block of Veterans Parkway, to find a person with multiple gunshot wounds. The person, later identified as 17-year-old Giancarlos Rivera-Lopez, was pronounced deceased on scene at 11:15 P.M. by Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan.
Hours after that, on Sunday, January 8, 2023, authorities responded to a person being found shot in a driveway on in the 6100 block of Georgetown Drive after a drive by shooting. The police department’s Robbery and Assault detectives are investigating this shooting. The person was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition.
Over 12 hours later on Sunday, authorities responded to a person who had been shot at a duplex building on Lee Street, feet away from the Boys and Girls Club on Clover Lane. The person’s condition is unknown.
An hour or so after that scene, police responded to an armed robbery at a business on South Lumpkin Road. No details on the armed robbery have been released.
After the violent weekend, authorities responded to a carjacking victim who had been shot in the upper body area on Alpine Drive near Regatta Court on Monday, January 9, 2023. The victim was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional and is in unknown condition.
This string of shootings has totaled the amount of shooting victims in 2023 to eight, a new record already — due to 2021 being at 4 at 01/09/21 and due to 2022 being at 5 at 01/09/22. The homicide count in 2023 is at two.
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