Crime

GBI identifies man shot, wounded by Bibb sheriff’s deputy during downtown foot chase

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Monday identified a man who officials say was shot and wounded by a Bibb County sheriff’s deputy during a downtown Macon foot chase.

The wounded man, Benjamin Curtis Bivins, 29, was reportedly being treated for his wound at a Macon hospital and said to be in stable condition.

The deputy, Jeremiah Moneypenny, was not hurt.

The incident, according to the GBI, began shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday when the deputy was talking to an employee of the Late Nite Macon bar at 420 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Moneypenny saw an armed man later identified as Bivins running around a corner at Cherry Street, allegedly chasing another man south onto MLK.

Bivins was said to be “brandishing a handgun” and, according to the GBI’s statement, he was seen firing “a couple of rounds into the air as he was chasing the other male.”

When the deputy hollered for Bivins to stop and drop the gun, Bivins led the deputy on a chase toward an alley at Mulberry Street Lane, the GBI said.

“According to bystanders,” Bibb sheriff’s officials said in a statement, “the individual shot at the deputy as they ran toward the alley.”

The deputy returned fire and Bevins was shot and taken into custody in the alley.

The GBI was investigating the shooting as it is frequently called in to conduct reviews of incidents where law enforcement officers are involved in shootings.

This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 12:31 PM.

Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph
Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.
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