A man was shot in Columbus early Sunday morning by a police officer investigating gunfire, officials said.
Janathaen Strum, 24, of Columbus, was said to be stable after the shooting in a residential area of East Columbus, where crowds of people and vehicles had gathered on Urban Avenue, according to the GBI. Multiple people called 911 to report gunshots in the area around 1:30 a.m.
The first Columbus police officer on the scene was working in that neighborhood and heard the gunshots, a GBI spokesperson said in a news release. When the officer arrived on Urban Avenue, he had to park his patrol car and walk because of the crowds.
“The officer began walking down the street asking individuals if anyone had been shot and who was shooting,” a spokesperson for GBI agent Jeremy Dockins said in the release. “Multiple people stated their vehicles had been shot, but no names or descriptions were mentioned to the officer.”
Some of the witnesses motioned toward a black BMW sedan, driven by Strum, which was slowly navigating around parked vehicles with its windows down. The officer approached the BMW and ordered Strum out of the vehicle, the GBI said.
According to the state agency, Strum was shot once after the officer saw the man reach into the area of the center console and raise his hands toward the window a short time later. In their initial statement, the Columbus Police Department said Strum was shot while holding a firearm, but the GBI did not confirm that account or specify if any weapons were recovered from the scene.
After the shooting, Strum wrecked the BMW down the street and attempted to run, the state agency said. The officer caught up after a short distance and he was detained.
“A large crowd gathered around the officer and Strum until additional officers and EMS arrived,” the GBI spokesperson said.
Strum was taken to the Midtown location of Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital, and an update on his condition was not provided Tuesday.
Investigators later learned a woman was shot in the Urban Avenue area before the officer arrived, and she was taken by friends to the same hospital. It was not clear if Strum was a suspect in that shooting.
The officer was placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard Columbus police protocol. The department asked the GBI to conduct an external investigation, the state agency’s 56th such investigation this year.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
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