Augusta.. the murder capital of the South. Hey, atleast we're first in something.
Tremayne Cobb was on his way to a late-night meal at Waffle House when he walked into the crossfire of two rival groups and was killed by a stray bullet May 16.
Rodney Crane and Jesse Haynes were at their Lumpkin Road home four days later when deputies found them stabbed more than 50 times.
Two days later, Chad Shirey, 25, was found slumped in the front seat of his white Chevrolet Caprice after a carjacker's bullet pierced his heart and lung.
And Jone Yin Cheung died about a week later in the restaurant he owned on Milledgeville Road after being shot in the head during an armed robbery.
Five homicides occurred in two weeks in May. For Richmond County sheriff's deputies, it was a rough start to the warm-weather season, when tempers seem to rise with the thermometer.
Halfway through 2009, homicides are almost even compared with 2008.
Friday's fatal shooting of Miguel Ramirez Hernandez, 30, brought the number of homicides committed this year in Richmond County to 12, according to sheriff's department statistics. There had been 13 homicides during the same period in 2008.
Nationally, reports of homicides were down 4.4 percent in 2008 from 2007, according to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report.
"We're about the same this year as we were last year," said Richmond County sheriff's Investigator James Kelly.
Men make up the majority of the victims so far this year, according to sheriff's office statistics. In all but three cases, victims were killed by handguns..
Other crime statistics are down for the year in Richmond County.
From January to May, reports of rape, aggravated assault, robbery, child molestation and abuse, automobile theft, domestic violence and arson all show small decreases compared with last year, according to police statistics.
On the other hand, reports of armed robbery, burglary, theft by taking, forgery, and missing person and narcotic cases during the same time are up.
So far, arrests have been made in all but three homicides. Investigators have warrants out for Nicholas Nathaniel Johnson, 20, in the slaying of Mr. Cobb.
They still don't know who killed 47-year-old David Brent Dunaway on March 10. Mr. Dunaway was found dead under a bridge on River Watch Parkway.
"You really can't predict when (homicides) are going to happen," Investigator Kelly said. "If we could, it'd probably be easier to deter them."
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
RICHMOND COUNTY CRIME STATISTICS
Through Saturday, 12 homicides are on the books for 2009. In 2008, 13 had been reported through July 4. Here's a look at other crimes reported from January to May:
| 2009 | 2008 | ||
| Reported crime | January-May | January-May | Change |
| Theft by taking | 4,124 | 3,248 | 27% |
| Forgery | 543 | 457 | 18.8% |
| Narcotics | 681 | 600 | 13.5% |
| Armed robbery | 146 | 133 | 9.8% |
| Missing person | 411 | 376 | 9.3% |
| Burglary | 1,283 | 1,182 | 8.5% |
| Auto theft | 660 | 708 | -6.8% |
| Child abuse/molestation | 53 | 57 | -7% |
| Other robberies | 130 | 148 | -12.2% |
| Aggravated assaults | 108 | 128 | -14.1% |
| Domestic violence | 903 | 1,070 | -15.6% |
| Rape | 37 | 44 | -15.9% |
| Arson | 8 | 30 | -73.3% |
Source: Richmond County Sheriff's Office
SUSPECTS SOUGHT
- Nicholas Nathaniel Johnson, 20, is wanted in the May 16 killing of Tremayne Cobb.
- The body of David Brent Dunaway, 47, was found under a River Watch Parkway bridge March 10. Police have no suspects.
Call the sheriff's office at (706) 821-1080 or (706) 821-1020 with any information.
Comments
Augusta.. the murder capital of the South. Hey, atleast we're first in something.
The last couple of years they've cleared almost all the cases. If the homicide rate goes down, it will give them more time to clear cold cases. There are so many unanswered questions. I hope the public will come forward with clues to any of CSRA's cold cases. Please. Yang Han is the first one that comes to my mind, since I saw him lying face down in the parking lot in his white shirt, shortly after I heard the gunshots. It was surreal seeing all the young people in white clothes surrounding him and the white sedan. My mind couldn't comprehend that that slight form on the ground was Mr. Han. Horrific memory.
This headline is very misleading. It makes it sound as though homicides are down for this year over last, but in fact they are nearly double the rate from last year. We are only a little more than halfway through 2009 and Augusta has almost as many homicides for all off 2008. This is alarming.
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