Officer-involved shooting turns fatal in downtown Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Deputies were on the scene in downtown Augusta after an officer-involved shooting happened Saturday.

At 11:23 a.m., the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to the 1200 block of Ellis Street in reference to a subject with a gun.

They say a deputy and the subject were shot at least once during an incident, after which the deputy was transported to the hospital for treatment.

The Richmond County Coroner’s Office now says the subject involved in this incident is a homeless person, who was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:46 p.m.

Both the Sheriff’s Office and Coroner’s Office say the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested due to the nature of the incident and has now assumed the investigation.

While local agencies and the GBI have yet to identify the officer involved, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp sent his sentiments via Twitter to Deputy Kenneth Mercer with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

In his tweet from this afternoon, he says “Marty, the girls, and I are asking all Georgians to pray for Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Mercer who was shot in the line of duty today. We join his loved ones and the entire law enforcement community in asking God to keep him stable and on the road to recovery.”

Multiple sheriff’s departments in the CSRA, from North Augusta Public Safety to Burke County, have also weighed in their thoughts and prayers since the incident happened.

While this investigation is ongoing and details are limited at this time, News 12 will continue to update this incident as more information becomes available.

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