Police Officer Robert Gray Vining

Robert Gray Vining

Police Officer Robert Vining succumbed to gunshot wounds he received after making a traffic stop of a robbery suspect at 9:40 a.m. on April 20, 1976.

Officer Vining pulled over a vehicle at the intersection of 13th Avenue and 17th Street. As he approached the car, he was shot twice in the head. He was transported to the Medical Center, where he died 33 hours later.

The suspect fled the scene. He was shot and killed a short time later after he opened fire on another officer who attempted to stop him.

Officer Vining was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Columbus Police Department for over five years. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.