The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has been requested by both the Warner Robins Police Department and the Centerville Police Department to investigate an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Centerville, which resulted in the death of Michael Dwayne Bell and left a Warner Robins police officer injured. According to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation press release, Bell, a 37-year-old from Fitzgerald, was fatally shot in the incident.
Details released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation state that on Friday, at approximately 3:45 a.m., law enforcement officers encountered Bell in a parking lot of the Galleria Mall in Centerville; these officers were attempting to apprehend Bell concerning a domestic violence incident, which had previously taken place in Byron, Georgia. When Bell was informed of his impending arrest, he refused to exit his semi-truck, prompting officers to try and gain entry into the vehicle, it was at this point that Bell shot from inside the truck, injuring an officer. Officers returned fire into the vehicle and a standoff ensued lasting until about 6:20 a.m. when officers, after failing to elicit a response from Bell, discovered him deceased inside the vehicle.
The wounded officer was immediately transported to the Atrium Navicent Medical Center in Macon, GA, with injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening, with reports stating the officer "is expected to survive." This shooting incident, which did not result in any other officers being harmed, is now under a full, active Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigation.
Following the closure of their intensive inquiry, the GBI will deliver the case files to the Houston County District Attorney's Office, this office will review the details and determine the next steps.
