Augusta Mall shooting: Terrified customers hide in dressing rooms

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputies rushed to Augusta Mall after reports of gunshots there.

Dispatchers say the initial report came in at 1:43 p.m. Sunday.

The sheriff’s office said deputies learned the shooting happened in Dillard’s.

Upon arrival, deputies were informed the suspect had fled the scene and the victim had left, too.

Deputies later learned the victim had driven themselves to a local hospital for treatment.

The mall was closed and will remain closed until Monday, when it will resume normal business hours.

Sheriff’s Lt. Robbie Silas termed it an isolated incident and said investigators are actively looking for the suspect.

People at the mall told News 12 they hid inside dressing rooms at a department store once they heard gunfire.

At the scene, we saw eight Richmond County Sheriff’s Office vehicles and two Central EMS ambulances with lights flashing and no activity.

It’s not the first time shots have been fired at the mall.

On Oct. 3 2022, one person was killed in a shooting at the mall. Tony Rodrequez Burton, of Augusta, was found guilty in October 2023 of two counts of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony,

The shooting also prompted a lawsuit by an employee who claimed the mall failed to keep the premises safe.

In June 2022, someone displayed a gun during an altercation in the food court. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.

Sunday’s incident comes amid an outbreak of violent crimes that’s claimed more than 150 lives across the CSRA in two years. It’s affected communities large and small on both sides of the Savannah River. But as the largest city in the region, Augusta has been hit especially hard.

Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs, and many of the victims as well as the suspects have been young men.

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