COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – On Thursday, around 10:45 p.m., Columbus Police Patrol Officers responded to 3838 Westgate Dr., in Columbus, Georgia, in response to a domestic disturbance.
After arriving at the scene, officers found a female victim outside of the residence who explained that her husband had assaulted her and that he possessed a handgun.
At the time, the suspect, Ray McNeal, 71, was still inside the residence. Officers entered the home to investigate further when McNeal opened fire at the officers. According to the police department, none of the responding officers were injured.
The officers were able to surround the residence and contain the threat. A Columbus Police Crisis Negotiator responded to the scene and spoke with the suspect. The negotiator convinced McNeal to surrender to police around 4:27 a.m.
Officers confiscated the firearm from the house and arrested McNeal. McNeal is charged with the following:
- Two counts of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer
- Battery (Family Violence)
- Terroristic Threats (Family Violence)
- Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime
McNeal is scheduled to appear in Recorder’s Court on May 21, 2022, at 8 a.m.