18-Year-Old Man In Custody After Shooting Prompts Lockdown At 3 Columbia County Schools

MARTINEZ, GA- An 18-year-old man is behind bars in connection to a shooting on Wednesday afternoon that left one person in critical condition and prompted a lockdown of three nearby schools in Columbia County as law enforcement searched for the suspect. Deputies were able to take the suspected shooter into custody on Wednesday night in a neighboring county.

Shortly after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, deputies with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting in the area near the 4000 block of Riverwatch Parkway. Deputies soon learned the shooting had actually taken place in the 500 block of Common Drive in the city of Martinez. Responding deputies located an unidentified victim that had sustained a gunshot injury. That victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment and is currently listed in critical condition.

Deputies learned that the suspect had fled the scene and as a precaution they placed three local schools on lockdown to include Blue Ridge Elementary, Lakeside Middle School, and Lakeside High School. Investigators were able to identify the suspected shooter as 18-year-old Davante Taylor of Evans, Georgia.

Law enforcement was able to zero in on the whereabouts of Taylor on Wednesday night. He was taken into custody at an apartment on Skinner Mill Road in nearby Richmond County, Georgia.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at 706-541-2800.

All Suspects Are Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty In A Court Of Law!

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Alton Mitchell

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Alton Mitchell is a career journalist, who currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He began his journalistic writing career while attending middle school and continued on through high school earning top honors by becoming his high school newspapers Editor in Chief. During his senior year of high school Mitchell's work received community recognition following an article that helped to save a local elementary school from closure. He would later go on to college where he earned degrees in Political Science and English. Following his graduation from college Mitchell would take on several reporting jobs at smaller publications and worked in roles ranging from a freelance journalist to editorial related roles. His work was recognized and received Press Association Awards in 2021. Writing is a passion and a love for Mitchell and he hopes to enlighten the community he serves through his works with A Mitchell Media LLC.

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