Suspect sought in Birdie Drive shooting, Augusta’s 4th in 4 days

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting incident that happened Thursday night.

Dispatchers say deputies responded to 2400 block of Birdie Drive near Lumpkin Road around 9 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Deputies found one man with a gunshot wound to the arm. The man was transported to the hospital for treatment.

We are reaching out for details on the victim’s conditions.

Investigators were able to identify the suspect as 28-year-old Matthew Bailey, also known as “Don Lewis.” A warrant has been issued for his arrest on aggravated assault charges.

Deputies say Bailey is from Columbia, South Carolina, and is believed to be headed back to Columbia. He should be considered armed and dangerous.

If you have seen Bailey or know where he could be, please call deputies at (706) 432-5281 or (706) 821-1080.

Continuous wave of crime...

This latest shooting is the fourth to happen in the Augusta area in the past four days.

Richmond County deputies had responded to reports of a shooting Wednesday morning at the Economy Inn on Deans Bridge Road. When deputies got to the scene around 6 a.m., they found a woman who had been shot at least one time in her leg. She was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated but died from her injuries a short time after. A 19-year-old Augusta man was arrested and charged with murder.

One person was killed in a shooting Tuesday morning, Richmond County sheriff’s deputies said. The shooting was reported at 10:43 a.m. at 2302 Wheeless Road, according to dispatchers.

MORE | Orangeburg man arrested in slaying of 14-year-old

Anthony Lee Flowers, 33, of the 2300 block of Wheeless Road, was shot at least one time and was taken to Augusta University Medical Center and pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m. An autopsy has been scheduled.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office arrested Frederick McNeal, 62, of Augusta, on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to deputies.

The incident outside a liquor store was Augusta’s second shooting in 24 hours.

MORE | Aiken woman charged in Williston murder case

Then around 11:10 a.m. Monday, a man was shot at a sandwich shop on Columbia Nitrogen Road. His wife was arrested.

MORE | 1 suspect arrested, another sought in kidnapping, shooting

These latest shootings come amid an outbreak in shootings and other violent crimes that have claimed at least 24 lives since mid-April.

Deadly cases include these:

On July 20, Keshia Chanel Geter, 36, from Eastover, S.C., was found shot dead at the Knights Inn on Boy Scout Road. Jaquarie Allen, 22, of Augusta, was arrested.
On July 10, the body of Morris Harden, 58, of Augusta, was found just off the roadway in the 1200 block of Watkins Pond Road in Burke County. Deputies say the case is being treated as a homicide.
On July 9, Nicholas Jovantay Hall, 31, of Swainsboro, was shot dead on Stokes Avenue in the Emanuel County community of Twin City. Peggy Ann Milton, 34, was arrested.
On July 5, authorities discovered the body of 65-year-old Bobby Miller, who’d been shot dead in a closet at 5274 Dogwood Drive just outside North Augusta. His son, Jason Glenn Miller, 42, has been arrested.
On July 2, Barry J. Redding, 39, and Stephan A. Poole, 40, of Aiken, were shot dead at a suspect has been identified as Hasheem Keywaun Rond Glover, 20, of Salley.
On June 30, Thaddeus Rodregus Price, 22, of Augusta, was shot just before 1 a.m. at Sycamore Drive and Alpine Road and pronounced dead on the scene at 2:03 a.m.
On June 26, a shooting on Wadley Drive in Aiken left three teenagers dead. Two suspects were arrested and another remains at-large in the deaths of 17-year-old Willie L. Garrett IV, 16-year-old Ivan Perry and 16-year-old Cameron Carroll.
Tammy Mantooth, 57, from Lola, Kansas, was pronounced dead June 23 after being found in the back of a sport utility vehicle at Azalea Park Apartments, 1814 Fayetteville Drive in Augusta. The death is considered suspicious.
A shooting early June 19 in the 700 block of Broad Street claimed the life of 31-year-old Percy Luther Johnson of Fredericksburg, Va.
Around 3 a.m. Saturday, Trevor Sumpter, 25, of Barnwell, was shot dead in the 200 block of Bomba Street in Barnwell. A suspect has been arrested.
At 10th and Broad Street in downtown Augusta, a shooting claimed the life of 21-year-old Logan Etterle early June 12. Two suspects have been arrested.
Also on June 12, Jakwan Gunter, 19, was found shot dead at 11th Avenue and Grand Boulevard. Deputies told News 12 they believe the shooting was gang-related.
On June 14, Eurl Kittles, 42, of Augusta, was fatally shot at a Captain D’s restaurant at 3166 Wrightsboro Road. Authorities have arrested Ravanell Gomillion in connection with the slaying.
On June 3 in the 100 block of Pelzer Street in Warrenville, 34-year-old Lacey Toole was shot dead by her boyfriend John Williams, who then turned the gun on himself.
On June 2 on Summerhill Avenue, 37-year-old Yoni Vargas shot his wife, 33-year-old Rosa Salguero-Landaverde, then killed himself.
On May 29, a shooting killed two people – 17-year-old William Mykell Lowery and 30-year-old Christopher “Scooter” Dunn – at a “Freaknik”-themed party being held at a ballpark outside Sandersville, Ga. The shooting is believed to be the result of an altercation.
Patricia Dent, 65, was strangled to death by her boyfriend Joseph McKinnon, who then buried her body in their yard at 102 Tanglewood Drive in Trenton, authorities say. They learned of her death on May 7 after finding McKinnon dead of a heart attack he suffered while burying Dent.
A shooting just before 7:30 p.m. on April 23 claimed the life of Rodriquez Dunn, 31, at the Olmstead Homes in the 2100 block of B Street in Augusta. Dunn suffered at least one gunshot wound and died at the scene.
On April 19, Brittany Dougherty was found slain outside a vacant home in the 1500 block of Conklin Lane. Her death was considered suspicious from the start, but within hours the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office ruled her death a homicide.
On April 18, Johnnie Coleman was found shot dead in the 1900 block of Old Savannah Road. Authorities released a photo of a car suspected to have been linked to that slaying. Kelvin Lewis, 33, has been arrested as a suspect in the murders of Coleman and Dougherty.
Jenefer Holt Herron, 52, of Augusta, died late April 18 after being shot during an argument outside the Circle K at 1739 Walton Way in Augusta. Suspect Yelena Buckner, 33, of Augusta, was later found and arrested on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, deputies reported.
JaJuan Russell, 21, of Augusta, was fatally shot early April 17 in the 3700 block of Oslo Road in Augusta. Russell was taken to Augusta University Medical Center.
Sandersville police found the body of a man on April 16 inside a home on Gwendolyn Street while responding to a report of a domestic dispute at the address. Santavious Louis Roberts, 35, of Sandersville, was arrested.
Brandon Peebles, 24, of Girard, was shot around 10:45 p.m. on April 14 in the 2300 block of Prague Court. He was pronounced dead at 11:23 p.m.