Police reveal what led up to shootout that injured officer

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Newly released documents are revealing more information about the shootout last week that injured a North Augusta police officer as well as the incident that led up to it.

Among the new documents are an incident report from the North Augusta Department of Public Safety and additional arrest warrants against suspect Thomas Michael Airington, of Clarks Hill, who’s been in jail since soon after last week’s shootout.

According to an incident report released Wednesday by the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, it all started around 4:30 p.m. Thursday when on an officer was dispatched to investigate a possible burglary in progress in the 2000 block of Arch Drive.

The caller said a black truck and silver Pontiac were in the backyard of the residence and that masked men were loading items from the residence into the vehicle.

The caller said both vehicles left the backyard and the residence.

The caller described one of the vehicles as a black Dodge Ram that left toward Trimmier Place.

The officer was on Georgia Avenue turning onto Marion Avenue and saw the pickup, then initiated a traffic stop.

The officer made it to the rear of the cab and observed multiple people in the pickup.

The officer gave commands for the driver to shut the vehicle off and place his hands out of the driver door window.

The driver then started making “furtive” movements with his hands into the truck, the incident report states.

The officer retreated several steps from the truck, and the truck then left at a high rate of speed onto Georgia Avenue southbound.

Lt. Aaron Fittery was in the area and took the primary position in a pursuit of the pickup.

The pursuit continued south on Georgia Avenue and at the intersection of Martintown Road, the pickup was involved in a crash with at least three other vehicles and one pickup overturned.

An officer stayed at the collision site to render aid to civilians with neck/back injuries.

Fittery continued the pursuit south on Georgia Avenue and took a right turn onto Jackson Avenue, followed by a left onto west avenue.

The driver if the pickup let three occupants jump out on West Avenue before turning left onto Spring Grove Avenue.

The pursuit then turned south onto the 400 block of Georgia Avenue southbound, where the pickup stopped and the driver exited the vehicle and fired on officers, according to the report.

An exchange of gunfire with law enforcement ensued.

A bullet struck Fittery in the lower leg.

Fittery was transported to the hospital by a civilian.

Three public safety vehicles were struck by gunfire.

The new arrest warrants shed additional light on the case.

The arrest warrants were issued after the initial ones, revealing additional counts against Airington.

Three of the new warrants released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division accuse Airington of assault/attempted murder, saying that he “with malice aforethought” attempted to kill an officer in the incident that the warrants note was captured on in-car and body-worn cameras.

Jail records and the warrants show he’s facing new charges that include possession of a weapon by someone convicted of a violent felony, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and drug charges including trafficking in methamphetamine or cocaine base 10 grams or more but less than 28 grams.

An arreste warrant released Wednesday by the North Augusta Department of Public Safety showed he’s also accused of failure to stop for a law enforcement officer.

He was initially booked in Aiken County jail on on suspicion of assault/attempted murder.

Another detail revealed by the warrants is the type of guns he’s accused of having.

One warrant says that as a convicted felon, Airington illegally possessed an Anderson Manufacturing rifle and a Glock handgun along with “numerous rounds of ammunition.” The warrants accuse him of firing both weapons during the shootout.

Authorities say Airington — who’s been accused in a long list of past offenses dating back to the 1990s — was wanted by U.S. marshals and didn’t intend to be caught when North Augusta officers responded to the area to investigate a report of a suspicious situation.

That led to a pursuit of Airington, who was driving a black 2021 Ram 1500 Classic pickup, according to authorities.

Authorities say Airington shot out of the moving truck. Authorities say that when he stopped on Georgia Avenue, he grabbed a rifle and continued shooting at police.

Meanwhile, the injured officer, Lt. Aaron Fittery, continues to recover at home.

The bullet missed his bone, and he has needed no surgery so far.

When you see what’s left of his car, you might be wondering how he survived. Multiple bullets ed through his windshield.

Despite all that damage, he only got hit in the leg.

A good Samaritan stopped to help officers detain the suspect and a woman drove Fittery to the hospital.

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