Richmond County homicide investigators went into Memorial Day weekend weary after a six-day stretch in which four people were killed.
The latest slaying was discovered early today when the body of Chad Shirey, 25, was found in a white Chevrolet Caprice near his home. Police believe someone driving a tan or beige SUV followed him to his driveway and fired into his car window.
His death is the eighth in the county this year.
When asked about the sudden increase, Richmond County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Peebles said there is typically no rhyme or reason why homicides happen when they do. Most are crimes of anger or passion between acquaintances. They can come in waves or sometimes not happen for months, he said.
“You can’t predict murders,” Lt. Peebles said. “They just come and go like that.”
The recent violence began May 16 when 20-year-old Tremayne Markis Cobbs was fatally shot and two others wounded at Econo Lodge in the 2000 block of Gordon Highway. Witnesses said the men were arguing when more than 10 bullets were fired into a silver Chevrolet Suburban. The shooter is believed to be Nicholas Nathaniel Johnson, 20, of the 3100 block of Bellmeade Drive, who is still at large.
On Wednesday, Jesse Haynes, 42, and Rodney Crane, 27, were found stabbed to death at Glenwood II Apartments on Lumpkin Road.
Joshua Bernard Ferguson, 52, was arrested after police followed a trail of blood from the scene to a nearby apartment. He is charged with two counts of murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime. Police
said he is keeping tight-lipped about what happened Wednesday.
Mr. Ferguson was on parole for the 1984 fatal stabbing of a man outside a night club .
A nyone with information on suspects in these cases is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (706) 821-1080 or (706) 821-1020.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Seems like the norm for the Augsta area lately. How many does this make so far this year? No respect for another human life what so ever.......
5:00--the last line says it's the 4th this year. Seems more like the 4th this MONTH.
Shootem up or stab em. The wonderful world of R.C.
Try four in one week!
ok, a man is found fatally shot, and police believe it is a homicide??? if he was shot more than once, unless he has really really bad aim, lets just assume is was indeed a homicide....
Why was I not surprised when it said this happened in the Barton Chapel area?
This particular crime occurred off Barton Chapel Rd. between Gordon Hwy. and Wrightsboro Rd. I believe the last fatal shooting that occurred on this particular street was a murder-for-hire in which a man and his girlfriend were killed.
let's put our reading hats on people..it is richmond county's 8th this year and the 4th this week...
latosha 5 that was a good one!
RIP Chad Shirey, You are in our thoughts and prayers
Not that there is anything funny about this story, but LATOSHA 5 had me ROTFLMAO.
RIP Chad, our thoughts and prayers are with your family.
R.I.P. Chad! My prayers and thoughts are with Chad's family. I am truly sorry for your loss!
Jack and one true gent: I don't know what happened to my posts this morning. The murder happened on Eidson Drive, which is off Barton Chapel Road, not Edison Drive as the earlier article said. And that is the same street off Barton Chapel Road that the double murder happened. Here is the link I posted earlier. (Maybe it was a slightly different article, but I see Bellemeade Drive is still spelled wrong above. It is not Bellmeade Drive where Nicholas Johnson lives, it's Bellemeade. Just for accuracy's sake). http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/080603/met_192-7492.000.shtml I don't know why my post isn't here, but if they don't want this info on here, I guess they can just delete it again, since I'm not sure what happened to my post. I did see it confirmed posted, I didn't just push post and leave.
Boy, they sure need proofreaders! I just noticed it says Edison Drive on the picture above. The street is named after the EIDSON family, so it's Eidson, not Edison, Drive.
By the way, I called in a foul smell on Barton Chapel Road many years back on a very hot day, and someone was kind enough to go check it out. Unfortunately a decomposing body was found in the woods next to a warehouse. The person was said to have died by natural causes, but I tend to be skittish about going that way unless I have to after that traumatic memory. I used to go that way to shortcut to the Augusta Mall all the time, but I don't now.
Maybe I can find the link, because they said the remains had pins from a prosthesis. (artificial limb) let's see, a few key words. Well dang, apparently it wasn't my call that led to the find. Poor guy looking for bottles stumbled on it apparently, about the time I called.... Here I was thinking they'd paid attention to my call. I didn't get a newspaper back then, so I didn't realize it wasn't my call that led to the find.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/090997/met_dembones.html The link is for anyone, but especially the doubting Thomas's that think I've been making stuff up. Here's another link related to same person: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/091297/met_briefs.html God rest her soul and all those who meet death before their time. I did not know she had been identified. I had wondered all those years. I was mistaken about the prosthesis though, the pins that I remembered being mentioned on the radio story back then were for surgical repairs to a limb. It was 1997, I really didn't expect I'd remember that much, so much has happened since.
Odd, can't find an obit on her. Sandra Lee Barton 31 years old in 1997. Probably just a glitch.