Judge determines probable cause in deadly shooting at Morris Road trailer park
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — A man charged in connection with a deadly shooting at a mobile home park back in April made his first court appearance Tuesday morning.
At Recorder’s Court, Tobias Gibson pleaded not guilty on all counts in front of Chief Judge David Renieri. His three charges were murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On April 15, Columbus Police Department (CPD) officers were called to a mobile home park on Morris Road around 12:49 a.m., where they found Jakesa Josey dead at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound.
At the time witnesses, including family members, reported Gibson as a suspect. Witnesses said Gibson had been in an intimate relationship with Josey, but the pair had recently broken up. Witnesses also reported Gibson as the suspect for another shooting in the area 10 days prior to Josey’s death.
Security footage from the trailer next to Josey’s in the mobile home park showed a man with “similar height, similar weight, similar body structure” to Gibson, according to CPD’s Cpl. C. Snipes.
Gibson was taken into police custody on the day of the shooting, when officers got reports he was at Muscogee County Jail attempting to turn himself in for an unrelated violation of probation.
He was arrested and brought to the Public Safety Building for interviewing. Gibson admitted to knowing the victim but not being involved in her death.
On May 17, probable cause was established to charge Gibson with Josey’s murder when officers identified a witness who had observed Gibson at the scene.
The witness was able to identify Gibson’s photo in a six-person lineup and identified clothing which matched the footage already obtained by police.
“The witness identified Gibson in a six-person photo lineup and recognized his clothing from the security video as the same clothing he saw,” Snipes said.
According to police, 14 nine-millimeter shell casings were found at the scene. No firearm has been located to date. Police said Gibson has an “extensive” criminal history, including a burglary conviction.
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