A 15-year-old was killed by gunfire on a Columbus, Georgia street one morning in December. On December 18, 2024, officers responded to the 1100 block of Celia Drive about 8:15 a.m. and found Elijah Hatcher, a 15-year-old Black male, with gunshot wounds. Paramedics took him to Piedmont Columbus Regional emergency room, and a doctor pronounced him dead at 9:15 a.m.

Elijah’s mother described the family’s loss, speaking about his empty room and the siblings who will never see him again. In court she called the killing cruel and unnecessary and pleaded for the community violence to stop. Investigators cited eyewitnesses and video evidence in making an arrest the next day. On December 19, 2024, police charged Jeremiah West with Murder and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime. A judge ordered West held without bond after a preliminary hearing on December 23, 2024, and the case was bound over to Superior Court.

If anyone on Celia Drive or nearby saw something that morning or has more information, please share what is known with investigators.