Augusta, GA
Store employee fatally shot in Augusta robbery; suspect arrested
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One person was fatally shot in an armed robbery on Lumpkin Road, according to authorities, and a suspect has been arrested.
The victim was identified as 29-year-old Abdallah Rubeha of Augusta.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened at the Smoke Shop at 2303 Lumpkin Road around 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Deputies say they arrived to find Rubeha, an employee, had been shot at least once.
He was taken to Wellstar MCG Hospital, where he died at 7:35 a.m. Saturday, according to Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen.
After the robbery, deputies were able to identify three suspects and their vehicle.
The vehicle was registered in Burke County, and Richmond County deputies reached out to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office with the information, according to officials.
Burke County deputies say they attempted a traffic stop at 11:25 p.m. Friday at Savannah Avenue and East 17th Street in Waynesboro.

Deputies in Burke County pursued the vehicle in a high-speed chase, which turned into a foot pursuit, officials say.
The driver, 22-year-old Terrance Walker, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in Richmond County.

According to Burke County deputies, another person was in the passenger’s seat and is believed to be connected to the robbery.
Burke County deputies say they also found a black Taurus G2C 9 mm handgun believed to have been stolen during the armed robbery.
Walker faces additional charges in Richmond and Burke counties, including driving under the influence, according to jail bookings.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Rubeha.
The year is off to a deadly start in Augusta; this is already the third homicide of 2025.
The slayings come amid a nearly three-year outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed around 200 lives.
Communities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River, but as the region’s largest city, Augusta has been hit hard.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
GameStop to close 16 Georgia locations, including 1 in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Video game retailer GameStop is reportedly closing 16 stores in Georgia, including one Augusta location, as part of its “comprehensive store portfolio optimization.”
The store in Augusta is located in the Southpointe Plaza at 3209 Deans Bridge Road.
The retailer announced in an SEC filing that it plans to close “a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025.”
While an official list is not available, emails sent to customers and notices sent to employees indicate 16 stores in Georgia are on the chopping block.
All Georgia locations closing include:
- North Point Mall, 1198 North Point Circle, Alpharetta
- Lenox Square Mall, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE Suite 2027, Atlanta
- Howell Mill, 1801 Howell Mill Rd. NW, Atlanta
- Southpointe Plaza, 3209 Deans Bridge Rd., Augusta
- Shops @ Main Street, 455 Cherokee Pl., Cartersville
- Chamblee Village, 1841 Chamblee-Tucker Rd., Chamblee
- Peachtree Mall, 3131 Manchester Expwy. #34B, Columbus
- Cumming Marketplace, 1060 Market Place Blvd., Cumming
- Dublin Commons, 2421 Hwy. 80 W, Dublin
- Hartwell Station, 115 Walmart Dr., Hartwell
- 4959 Bill Gardner Pkwy., Locust Grove
- McDonough Square, 1144 Hwy. 20-81, McDonough
- Pharrs Village, 1830 Scenic Hwy. N, Snellville
- Stone Mountain Festival, 1825 Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain
- Cofer Crossing, 4363 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker
GameStop’s board of directors recently approved $35 billion in performance-based stock options for CEO Ryan Cohen, should the company’s market cap hit $100 billion. The company’s market cap is $9.3 billion.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
Finding Solutions: Augusta nurse opens new end-of-life care facility
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A hospice nurse is opening Augusta’s first inpatient hospice home, giving families a new option for end-of-life care.
Stacia Sirull, a hospice nurse, is opening the Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home. The facility will feature hummingbird decorations throughout.
“My sister passed away a couple of years ago. She died in a hospice house in Kentucky and loved humming birds. When I decided to do this I was like we are just going to put humming birds everywhere,” Sirull said.
Limited options for Augusta families
Augusta families facing end-of-life care currently have limited options. The new facility will serve as an alternative.
“There are many times when I hear I don’t want to die at home. I don’t want leave here and leave the memory of this with my family and don’t want to stay here, or the other way around I don’t want my family member to die at home and have to remember that they were here in this house,” Sirull said.
Sirull said the facility gives people a comfortable option in a homey environment.
“Our slogan is your life, your journey, your choice. The reason we wrote it that way is because I want people to be able to make their own choice at the end of life and have those choices be respected,” she said.
Family shares experience
Krista Weigle’s mother was on hospice in Augusta in 2018. Weigle said her mother began needing more care than she and her sister could provide. Her sister lives in Statesboro, where there is an inpatient hospice home.
“We just felt so blessed to find that place and felt very comfortable with her being there and when she passed we knew we had done the right thing,” Weigle said.

Facility details and community support
The Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home will have six rooms added to the existing building. Sirull said there will always be one bed available for someone who doesn’t have the finances or insurance to cover the stay.
“No one should die alone, no one should die without support in their last days and not just support, but compassionate support,” she said.
Sirull said the community can help by donating hospital beds, blankets, quilts, bedside tables, kitchen items including pots and pans, and personal care items including diapers, wipes and shampoo.
Weigle said she’s happy to know a place she once needed is coming to Augusta.
“My only worry is that it won’t be big enough and once word gets around and people see what need it fills, there will need to be more places like this,” she said.
The Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home is a nonprofit organization set to open May 1.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
FBI agents identify chemical used in Georgia acid attack
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The FBI agents have confirmed that they’ve identified the chemical used in a Georgia acid attack.
Just last month, Ashley Wasielewski was walking around Forsyth Park in Savannah when a man hiding in the shadows near Whitaker Street suddenly came out and attacked Wasielewski with an unknown chemical substance.
Sources close to the investigation say that liquid melted through Wasielewski’s clothing and headphones and left her with severe burns.
On Friday, the FBI released that they now know what that substance was but are not releasing the name of the substance to the public at this time.
FBI officials say that SLED assisted and did the testing on behalf of the the organization.

Agents are also following up on leads now that the substance has been identified.
Just days after the attack, more than $260,000 had been raised for Wasielewski, who was recovering at a burn center in Augusta.
One of Ashley’s friends, Kristen Oddi organized a GoFundMe to help pay for Wasielewski’s extensive medical care.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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