Police: Woman fatally shoots Benning soldier breaking into her apartment

A Fort Benning soldier who was killed in a Sunday morning shooting on Armour Avenue had broken into an apartment when he was shot, Columbus police said.

Christopher Warden, 31, was shot around 7 a.m. Sunday. Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Charles Newton said Warden was pronounced dead around 8:30 a.m. at Midtown Medical Center.

Columbus police said Warden apparently thought the apartment he was entering was where his wife had gone to pick up her daughter. An unidentified friend of Warden’s and a neighbor tried to tell Warden he was at the wrong address. But Warden beat and kicked the door, then broke out a window and climbed through, police said.

Once he was inside the apartment, the resident there heard him, armed herself and yelled at Warden to leave, police said. Authorities said he refused and walked into her bedroom where she fired a handgun once into his chest.

Based on evidence at the scene and witness statements, no charges will be filed against the woman, police said.

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Police: Woman fatally shoots Benning soldier breaking into her apartment."