In the late spring of 2019, a young man's life was cut tragically short in Columbus, Georgia. Johnny J. Hawkins, a 25-year-old male, was fatally shot on Sunday, May 26, 2019, during the Memorial Day weekend. The incident, which also left another man critically injured, cast a dark shadow over the holiday festivities. Hawkins was pronounced dead at 12:55 a.m., leaving behind a grieving family and a community searching for answers.
He was remembered as a construction worker who had attended Spencer High School.
The investigation into the shooting led authorities to a suspect. Julius Doby, 28 at the time, was arrested and faced a litany of charges, including murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated assault. In a court hearing in August 2019, a Columbus Police detective testified that Doby had shot Johnny Hawkins Jr. and then critically injured Hawkins' friend, Jarvis Devonte Moore, by shooting him, running him over, and dragging him under a car.
During the court proceedings, Doby pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. Despite his plea, a judge found probable cause to forward the case to the Muscogee Superior Court and ordered Doby to be held without bond. The testimony presented a grim picture of the violence that had unfolded, leaving one man dead and another fighting for his life with severe injuries. The community was left to grapple with the senseless act as the legal process began to unfold for the man accused of ending Johnny Hawkins' life.
