Augusta, GA
Murder-suicides take grim toll: 4 lives in 14 hours
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – Community members are looking for answers after murder-suicides in Augusta and Aiken claimed four lives in 14 hours.
What do these cases have in common and what lessons do they hold?
The Aiken murder-suicide unfolded just before 11 a.m. Monday at the Murphy USA gas station at 3575 W. Richland Ave. – a sad echo of another murder-suicide the night before on Holden Drive in Augusta.
The victim was identified as 43-year-old Tiffany Britt, and the shooter was her husband, 55-year-old George Britt. They were from Augusta.
In Aiken, witnesses said a man approached a woman, and they were yelling.
“I looked at her and I could see that she knew that … she knew that this was it for her,” said Gloria Smith, a witness. “She didn’t try to put up a fight no more. She didn’t – she just didn’t do nothing.”
The witness said she and others were at the gas pumps while the incident unfolded.
“I told everybody that we need to move back because it was like three other gentlemen and I said we need to move back because he has a gun in his pocket and it’s right at her stomach,” said Smith.
The man was asking her something.
“All she could say was, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” said Smith.
The witness heard the police sirens after she called 911.
“And then the next thing you know, I heard him say, ‘All right,’ and then he shot her,” said Smith.
An off-duty deputy was getting gas when he saw what was happening and tried to intervene.
“He was getting ready to run, but that gentleman caught him and they was tussling and gunshots were just going off – about 12 of them just going off, then all of a sudden, it stopped,” said Smith. “Then the next gunshot you heard was him shooting himself in the head.”
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“I’m emotionally all over the place,” said Smith. “I want to cry now, but I’m doing everything I can not to.”
The shooter died on the scene and the victim died at Aiken Regional Medical Center, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.
They will be autopsied Wednesday in Newberry, according to Ables.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is handling the investigation.
In Augusta, 41-year-old Rebecca Williams was fatally shot Sunday night by her husband, Michael Williams, 43, who then killed himself, according to authorities. That incident happened around 9 p.m. at their home in the 1200 block of Holden Drive.
Both were pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m.
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said autopsies have been scheduled.
The murder-suicides are among about 600 that happen every year in the U.S.
A 2022 analysis published by the FBI found 65% of murder-suicides involve intimate partners, and 81% happen in the home. When partners are involved, more than half of the killers have a history of domestic conflict.
Most murder-suicides involve one killer and one victim, but not always, according to the analysis. Children are sometimes victims, but most are adults.
Guns are the main weapon used.
Beyond that, there are other patterns, according to the FBI.
Murder-suicides are overwhelmingly carried out by white men, especially older ones. From 2003 to 2005, statistics show 91.4% of murder-suicides were committed by males, 97.6% were committed by people over age 19 and 77% were committed by people identified as white.
Experts aren’t sure whether the main goal is murder, suicide or something else, but these factors are often at play:
- A negative dynamic like abuse, infidelity or a perceived injustice in the relationship between the killer and victim.
- A sense of obligation toward the victim, like protecting them from the stigma or shame of a planned suicide or the hurtful consequences of something the killer has done.
- The killer’s intent to relieve the victim of suffering due to illness or disability.
As for how to prevent murder-suicides, the FBI has no clear answer. But one approach may be to take some cues from efforts to prevent suicide.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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. (WRDW/WAGT) – The basketball doubleheader featuring both Augusta University and University of South Carolina Aiken has been moved to Sunday.
The two were originally slated to play on Saturday afternoon.
The women’s game will tipoff at 1:30 p.m., and the men’s will follow at 3:30 p.m in the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
Both the Pacers and Jags men’s team last played on Feb. 10 2024.
AU climbed to a 5-point lead in the final period, winning 98-93.
Prior to their last meeting, USC Aiken had a four-game win streak over the Jags.
Sunday will mark the 89th meeting between the two programs.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Multiple cars crashed due to winter weather conditions on I-20 in the CSRA early Friday morning, according to authorities.
On I-20 in Augusta, the road conditions at the Washington Road exit were hazardous, according to our reporter on the interstate.
Our reporter saw another wreck on the Bobby Jones overpass from I-520 to I-20 at 10:35 a.m. We’ve reached out to learn more.
Across the river, on I-20 westbound just before mile marker 4, multiple vehicles were pulled over after a car carrier crash around 10 a.m. in Aiken County.
We have reached out to learn more.
Dispatch told us crews were on the scene of a multiple-car crash on I-20 eastbound at the Walton Way extension ramp at 9:25 a.m.
Officials say at least two vehicles were involved, but more were reported, and they are unsure how many exactly.
They did however say more vehicles became involved after sliding on the road from weather conditions.
Dispatch says they are unsure of any injuries or if any lanes were blocked.
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CSRA winter weather: Full coverage
- LIVE: Latest news on winter weather across the CSRA
- See the winter weather across the CSRA on our live camera network
- How Augusta and state agencies are preparing for icy winter blast
- CSRA schools move to virtual learning in preparation for winter storm
- List of warming shelters in Augusta to escape the cold
- What Red Cross says to do in a winter storm
- Electric crews ‘ready to help’ during winter storm
- Several local FEMA centers closing due to winter weather
- Protecting your pets during extremely cold weather
- What can renters do if pipes burst due to winter weather?
- Don’t get burned by cold-weather home repair scams
- Local fire crews warn of heating hazards in cold weather
- How to spot warning signs of frostbite, hypothermia
- Protecting your most precious plants from winter’s wrath
- Stay inside if you can during cold snap, experts say
- Winter weather myths debunked to keep you safe
- If your pipes freeze or break, follow this advice from experts
- How to get help with your heating bill in the CSRA
- What to know if you’ll be driving in subfreezing weather
- How to protect your heating system during freezing temperatures
- How to stay warm on a budget and beat the cold weather
- Trouble from burst pipes can linger well beyond a freeze
- Keep your pipes from bursting in freezing weather
- How to prepare your home for major freeze
They also told us about another accident in Columbia County in the same area.
We have reached out to learn more.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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