On the afternoon of January 24, 2024, police in Columbus, Georgia, responded to reports of a shooting in an apartment in the 900 block of Fleming Avenue. Arriving around 3 p.m., officers found Lacoya Whittlesey, a 48-year-old Black man, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal. The Muscogee County Coroner reported that Whittlesey was pronounced dead shortly after 4:30 p.m.
as a result of gunshot wounds to the torso.
The Columbus Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit immediately began a homicide investigation. Through their preliminary work, investigators quickly identified 35-year-old Rwanda Hill as the primary suspect in the deadly shooting. Authorities issued warrants for her arrest on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. A public search for Hill was launched, with police cautioning that she should be considered armed and dangerous.
The search for Rwanda Hill concluded with her arrest. She was taken into custody and formally charged in connection with Lacoya Whittlesey’s death. Hill appeared in recorder's court for a hearing on February 22, 2024. During the proceeding, she pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge denied bond for Hill, and she was ordered to be held in custody. Her case was bound over to the Muscogee County Superior Court to proceed through the judicial system. As of February 2024, the case against Rwanda Hill is pending in superior court.
