Zachary Tyler Castellow, 25, was killed on the evening of September 12, 2022, in Columbus, Georgia. He was found with fatal gunshot wounds outside a residence on Forestside Drive and was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:00 p.m. The shooting was recorded as the 32nd homicide in the city that year.

The shooting occurred in the front yard of Castellow’s home. His girlfriend and her children, who were also the children of the man later identified as the suspect, were inside the house at the time. Family reported that five shots were fired into the home and that one of the children witnessed Castellow being shot as he walked toward the house. Castellow and his girlfriend had just learned they were expecting a child together.

Columbus police identified 25-year-old Jonathan Thompson as the suspect; Thompson turned himself in that same evening and was arrested and charged in connection with Castellow’s death. He stood trial on multiple counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree. The defense argued self-defense and the jury returned a not guilty verdict on all charges in November 2025.

Did anyone in the area see or hear anything the night of September 12, 2022, that could shed more light on what happened?