Richmond County authorities are investigating a shooting death that happened Saturday night at Olmstead Homes in Augusta.
At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, deputies responded to the 2100 block of B Street in Olmstead Homes in reference to a shooting. Officers located a male victim with at least one gunshot wound, and the coroner pronounced him dead an hour later.
Witnesses describe hearing gunshots in the area, including a neighbor who said he heard two different handguns being shot. “Almost seems like the first three shots missed and the intended target shot back and got him. Definitely two different caliber pistols,” the witness said on Facebook.
He said there were a lot of children outside, but none were harmed.
This marks the sixth homicide in Augusta in the last 10 days. Before Saturday, Richmond County has experienced five homicides and multiple other shootings in the last week, sparking concern in the community and prompting Sheriff Richard Roundtree to reassure the community that he was taking action.
Only one arrest had been made in the five separate homicide cases:
Brandon Peebles, 24, of Girard, was shot around 10:45 p.m. April 14 in the Barton Village community of Augusta, according to Coroner Mark Bowen. (The sheriff’s office identified the man differently, as Brandon Peoples of Augusta. He went by Baron Samedi on Facebook, where he listed his home as Augusta.) The shooting happened on the 2300 Block of Prague Court. The victim was rushed to Augusta University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:23 p.m., Bowen said. Authorities say the victim had been shot in the upper torso.
JaJuan Russell, 21, of East Chapman Street, was fatally shot on Easter morning on the 3700 block of Oslo Road. He was taken to Augusta University Medical Center by EMS where he was pronounced dead at 1:14 a.m. Sunday. His death came less than 48 hours after he was released from jail after being locked up for five days on charges of beating up his child’s mother in front of two children.
Johnnie Coleman, 72, was found shot to death outside Perry’s Pig around 7:20 a.m. Monday on the 1900 block of Old Savannah Road. A passing motorist saw the body and notified the sheriff’s office. The victim was shot at least one time and pronounced dead on the scene at 7:58 a.m., Bowen said. Coleman lived on the 200 block of Holloway Drive in Augusta.
Jenefer Herron, 52, of Augusta, was fatally shot Monday night following an argument with another woman in the parking lot of Circle K on Walton Way, authorities said. Yelena Buckner, 33, of Augusta, is charged with murder and weapon possession in the death. It happened around 10:50 p.m. Monday after both customers had left the store. “The shooting occurred after the victim and suspect became involved in an argument in the parking lot,” sheriff’s Sgt. William McCarty said. Herron was rushed to Augusta University Medical Center, where she died. Buckner drove away in a gray SUV, but she was captured later and taken in for questioning before being charged.
Brittany Kristina Dougherty, 29, of Augusta, was found dead April 19 outside a vacant residence on the 1500 block of Conklin Ave. She was pronounced dead at 12:24 p.m. Tuesday. An autopsy will be done at the GBI Lab, and no cause of death was released. The sheriff’s office said the woman was found in the front yard of the home.
