Shooting in Columbus leads to Hospitalization

On Friday, July 10, 2026, at approximately 5:04 p.m., officers with the Columbus Police
Department were dispatched to the 900 block of Walnut Street in reference to a reported
shooting. Dispatch advised that a caller had witnessed one person shoot another.
Officers arrived within minutes and located the suspect. With the assistance of the Colorado
County Sheriff's Office, the suspect was safely taken into custody. During the arrest, deputies
with the Colorado County Sheriff's Office deployed a TASER to gain control of the suspect. The
suspect resisted arrest but was ultimately restrained, disarmed, and taken into custody without
further incident.
The suspect has been identified as Robert Jerome Axel, 50, of Columbus, Texas.
The Shooting Victim survived & has been Hospitalized.
During the incident, a nearby business owner witnessed the suspect's actions and, in an effort to
stop the ongoing threat, discharged a firearm at the suspect. The nearby business owner's actions
stopped the suspect from advancing farther into the targeted occupied business, preventing the
suspect from reaching additional occupants inside. The circumstances surrounding the incident
remain under investigation.
Robert Jerome Axel was transported to the Colorado County Jail, where he was booked on four
(4) counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
The Columbus Police Department was assisted by the Colorado County Sheriff's Office,
Colorado County EMS, the Columbus Volunteer Fire Department, and the Texas Department of
Public Safety.