12 months ago
Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker died Monday afternoon of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, says Bibb County coroner Leon Jones.
He said Walker was pronounced dead at 1:49 p.m. at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.
Warner Robins police say they got a call around 11:09 a.m. from Walker's Hickory Avenue home.
Police Chief Brett Evans said Walker's wife found him and called 911.
Walker was taken from his home to the Houston Medical Center. He was assessed there, and doctors agreed to send him to the Macon hospital's trauma center due to the severity of his wounds.
Council member John Williams was among the friends and associates of Walker who gathered at the Medical Center of Central Georgia to await word on Walker's condition.
Monday afternoon, crime-scene tape surrounded Walker's home on Hickory Drive, not far from city hall.
Mayor Pro Tem John Havrilla is now the acting mayor.
Walker, 60, had been mayor since 1994.
He was seeking a fourth term, but faced a challenge from three candidates in a November city election.Last year, Walker missed several months of work at the mayor's office due to a foot injury. That came after the city council asked him to take a leave due to ongoing medical problems.
This year, Walker said his health was better and he was ready to serve another term.
His father, Homer J. Walker, was mayor from 1968 to 1972. The city's civic center, where many city employees learned of the mayor's death, is named for Homer Walker. Donald Walker's brother, Jay, is a longtime Houston County commissioner.
Coroner Jones said funeral arrangements will be handled by the McCullough Funeral Home of Warner Robins. His funeral has not been scheduled.
Chief Evans says the autopsy is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.
He said the case will be handled like any other apparent suicide.
