Suspect sentenced for N. Augusta shoot-out that injured officer

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Just over two years after a Dec. 9, 2021 shoot-out injured a police officer in downtown North Augusta, Judge Walton Mcleod sentenced a man Tuesday.

As part of a plea deal, Thomas Michael Airington received:

• 25 years (concurrent) for four counts of attempted murder.
• Three years (concurrent) for failure to stop for an officer.
• Five years for unlawful carrying of a firearm.
• One year (suspended to time served, concurrent) to other charges.

During the confrontation, Airington fired 49 shots at officers on busy Georgia Avenue before surrendering, according to the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.

One of those shots hit Lt. Aaron Fittery in the leg.

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It all unfolded after an officer was sent to investigate a possible burglary in progress in the 2000 block of Arch Drive, according to authorities.

The caller described two vehicles removing items from a backyard. After leaving, the driver along with multiple engers was stopped by police, officials say.

Video shows a traffic stop where an officer attempted to get Airington to turn off his vehicle.

“Aye, shut it off. Shut the vehicle off. Let me see your hands,” said the officer.

When the officer attempted to question the driver, the driver fled, leading police into a chase that caused an accident with at least three other vehicles and one pickup overturned, according to authorities.

Lt. Aaron Fittery continued the pursuit after the crash, when the driver let three occupants jump out on West Avenue before turning left onto Spring Grove Avenue, authorities say.

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

During the exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, a bullet struck Fittery.

“I’ve been hit, I’ve been hit,” he says in bodycam footage.

In an interview with Lieutenant Fittery, he said, “Definitely scared. Not knowing what my wounds were at the time. Were they life threatening?”

Three public safety vehicles were also struck by gunfire.

After several minutes of gunfire, deputies were finally able to put Airington in custody, but from a different persepctive, Fittery was still limping around in pain, looking for help.

“I’ve been shot,” he said.

Eventually, a civilian stopped their car, let him in, and drove him to the hospital.

He says that day changed who he is as an officer.

“I look at things a little more differently. You know, a sunset or a sunrise means a little more to me than it might have that day. Of course always knowing that something could happen to me and I can be taken away at any time,” he said.

On sentencing day, the courtroom was full of law enforcement presence from North Augusta Public Safety along with Sholonda Ware, who witnessed 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.