Man Shot And Killed By Police After Armed Confrontation Near Savannah Riverwalk

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Thursday afternoon in downtown Savannah, leaving a 27-year-old South Carolina man dead, authorities said.

The investigation was requested by the Savannah Police Department. The man who was shot and killed was identified as Mark Dennis Whibbey Jr., 27, of Seabrook, South Carolina. No officers were injured.

According to preliminary information, Savannah police officers responded around 1:30 p.m. Jan. 22, 2026, to multiple 911 calls reporting a man waving a firearm outside a business on West Congress Street. A second caller reported a man shoplifting and carrying a firearm at a convenience store near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Bay Street.

Officers located Whibbey and issued verbal commands for him to drop the firearm. Police said Whibbey did not comply and continued walking north on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive toward the Riverwalk area. An officer attempted to deploy a taser, but it was unsuccessful. Officers continued issuing commands as Whibbey moved toward an area with pedestrian traffic.

Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows officers isolating Whibbey in an expanded section of the Riverwalk. Authorities said Whibbey paced while holding a firearm at his side and refused repeated commands to drop the weapon. Police said he then walked toward civilians and officers while holding the gun in his right hand and reached behind his back with his left hand toward an object in his waistband.

At that point, five Savannah police officers fired, striking Whibbey multiple times. Officers rendered medical aid, but Whibbey was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body will be transported to the GBI Pooler Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office at +1-770-388-5019. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Eastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.