Robert Gray Vining

Columbus Police Department — Columbus, GA

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch April 21, 1976

Age 45

Tour of Duty 5 yrs 7 mo

The Vigil Panel 117 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 25

Incident

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.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-GA-C9A87A0B
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Vining gave the Columbus Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Columbus Police Department

Type Other

Location Columbus, Muscogee County, GA

Platform Identity cpd.muscogee.ga.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch April 21, 1976

Tour of Duty 5 yrs 7 mo

Age 45

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Military Service

Robert Gray Vining served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer Robert Gray Vining is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.

In GA, 548 of 903 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 60.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Columbus Police Department, 19 of 26 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 73.1% of this agency's fallen.

Columbus Police Department

of 26 officers

73.1% Felonious

GA — Statewide

548

of 903 officers

60.7% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,756 officers

0% Felonious