Off-duty police officer fatally shoots armed man outside of Columbus nightclub

Madeleine Cook
·2 min read

Editor’s note: The story has been updated with correct information from CPD regarding where the off-duty officer was working.

A Columbus police officer has been placed on administrative leave after shooting an armed man early Friday morning, the Columbus Police Department announced in a press release.

The officer was identified as Ryan Vardman by Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan.

Vardman was working security at a nearby Chevron station with another off-duty officer when he encountered the suspect exchanging gunfire with another person around 2:30 a.m., police said. The officer told him to drop his weapon and when the suspect did not, the officer fired.

Alonzo Carter, 32, was pronounced dead at 3:25 a.m. at The Flame, a gentleman’s club previously known as Club Fetish at 4505 Armour Road, confirmed Bryan.

A semi-automatic handgun was found on Carter’s body, according to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

In 2017, Vardman hit and killed a murder suspect after a chase on Cussetta Road.

The Columbus Police Department and GBI are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting on Friday morning.
The Columbus Police Department and GBI are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting on Friday morning.

Carter’s family released a statement via Columbus attorney Jennifer Dunlap stating, “Alonzo was a caring father, a brother, a son and a friend to many. His death at the hands of an undercover law enforcement officer is devastating.”

It continues to say the family is “pursuing additional information” and requesting cell phone footage or details be sent to clubshootinginformation@gmail.com. They request no footage be distributed online.

An unidentified woman on the scene was also shot and transported to Columbus Piedmont Regional Hospital. Her status is unknown, Bryan said, and about 40 shell casings littered the parking lot.

The Columbus Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are currently investigating an officer-involved shooting at a nightclub on Armour Rd., on March 11, 2022.
The Columbus Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are currently investigating an officer-involved shooting at a nightclub on Armour Rd., on March 11, 2022.

GBI is currently investigating the incident, which is standard in police shootings.

This is the second officer-involved shooting in Columbus this week and the fifth this year. On Monday, an officer fired into a car during a suspected theft and two people were wounded.

Anyone with information about the fatal shooting can contact GBI’s Columbus Investigative Office at (706) 565-7888 or submit an anonymous tip at 1-800-597-8477 or online.

This story will be updated as more information is released.