GBI: Man with compound bow shot by officers in Columbus

A man was shot by officers in Columbus after he pointed a compound bow at them, the GBI said.

Credit: GBI

Credit: GBI

A man was shot by officers in Columbus after he pointed a compound bow at them, the GBI said.

A man who pointed a compound bow at officers Saturday morning was shot in Columbus, the GBI said.

Before the bow even became a component of the incident, Columbus police officers were called to a Circle K on Second Avenue about 1:40 a.m. due to a domestic dispute, according to the GBI. At the scene, officers were told a man left the gas station after slashing the tires of a vehicle in the parking lot.

He also assaulted a woman with a carjack, the GBI said, causing minor injuries.

The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Jonathan Powell, was found nearby, but when authorities approached him, he was holding a knife and ratchet strap, the GBI said. Officers told him to drop the weapons, but Powell did not.

According to the GBI, officers used pepper ball munitions, which are considered a less lethal intervention, to gain compliance, but It was ineffective.

Powell threw the ratchet strap at one of the officers and made threatening statements, the GBI said. He then walked inside his house along Third Avenue, eventually coming to the doorway, pointing a compound bow at the officers, the state agency said.

One of the officers shot Powell, the GBI said, and he was taken to a hospital.

He was booked into the Muscogee County Jail the following day on several charges of family violence including aggravated assault, criminal trespass and second-degree criminal damage to property, online records show.

The GBI will be conducting an independent investigation into the incident, which is the 94th officer-involved shooting the state agency has been asked to probe this year.