Murder suspect arrested in deadly shooting on Oates Ave. in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - The Columbus Police Department arrests a man in a deadly shooting in the 4000 block of Oates Ave. near 40th Street that has left one person dead.

According to Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan, 26-year-old Mardarrius Collier was transferred to Piedmont Columbus Regional ER. He was pronounced dead on Sept. 10 at 3:21 p.m.

31-year-old Keven Brown was developed as a suspect during a police investigation and was arrested nearly a week after the shooting. Brown is charged with the following crimes,

• Murder
• Theft by receiving stolen property
• Receipt, possession or transfer by a convicted felon
• Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime

The victim is a father of three, and his family now wants answers to what happened.

His mother Shaleitha Collier said she never imagined this would happen to her son.

‘’He didn’t rob, he didn’t kill, he didn’t do things that I thought would be done. I don’t understand why it happened,” she said.

Mardarrius was shot multiple times in the torso, and his mother said it’s alarming that this shooting took place in broad daylight.

‘’People should be more open minded and be more aware of their surroundings and what’s going on around them and who they surround themselves with,’’ Shaleitha said.

Linaja Mercer, the mother of one of Mardarrius’s kids said when she heard the news, it shattered her world.

‘’Because he’s not the first one that I lost. He makes number three. I lost one last year, I lost one this year in March and then now it’s him. So, it’s really hard for me right now,” she said.

Mercer said the gun violence needs to stop, and the person who killed Mardarrius took someone who was loved by many.

‘’I just know that I’m going to miss him. We’re all going to miss him, and there’s nothing I can do to bring him back, but I’m just really speechless,’’ she said,

Collier’s last conversation with his three-year-old daughter is something Mercer said she will cherish forever.

‘’I just remember like how we just talked about like all the things that we have dealt with and like been through together umm and I remember my daughter telling him before he left, she was like bye dad I love you he was like I love you too Neveah,” she said.

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