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HomeNewsAugusta Man Killed on Leland Drive; Suspect Identified

Augusta Man Killed on Leland Drive; Suspect Identified

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A suspect is in custody in connection with Saturday’s shooting death of a 65-year-old Augusta man on Leland Drive, authorities said.

The victim in this case has been identified as Karl Alan Hardge, of Olive Road in Augusta. The assailant, John Dickey Obryant, 86, of the Leland Drive address, has been taken into custody and is currently at the Georgia Regents University.

Deputies identified that Obryant was having shortness of breath and he was taken to GRU for treatment. Obryant is charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

No current photo is available at this time, authorities said.

Authorities say Hardge was shot once in the upper torso and pronounced dead at GRU Hospital just before 3 p.m. Saturday. The suspect was at the home when officers responded to the shooting and found the victim with a gunshot wound.

Richmond County authorities usually refuse to discuss a motive, but WGAC’s Austin Rhodes tells us that his sources say the suspect is claiming self-defense.

An autopsy on the victim will be conducted next week in Atlanta, Deputy Coroner Kenneth Boose said in a press release.

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Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Press and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel.
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