A domestic disturbance on Augusta's Sterling Ridge Drive escalated into gunfire Sunday afternoon, deputies say, when a man identified as Clarence Ruffin fired at least one round in the direction of a victim before being taken into custody. No injuries were reported, according to deputies, and the suspect was taken into custody quickly.
The shooting happened on Sept. 6, according to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, which said the domestic disturbance turned into a violent encounter before deputies took Ruffin into custody. The investigation remains active, per the report, and further details about what led to the confrontation have not been released.
Even without physical injuries, the alleged act of firing a gun toward another person during a domestic dispute carries serious legal weight under Georgia law. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-21, discharging a firearm at another person constitutes felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a charge that does not require proof of injury and can carry a sentence of one to 20 years in prison, according to Justia Law. Separately, Georgia law imposes a mandatory consecutive five-year prison sentence for possessing or using a firearm during a violent felony under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-106.
Part of a Violent Stretch for Richmond County Deputies
The Sterling Ridge Drive shooting adds to a run of high-risk weapon calls handled by Richmond County law enforcement in recent weeks. On Sept. 3, deputies searched for a gunman who fired at officers responding to a separate assault call elsewhere in Augusta, an incident Hoodline reported left no officers injured.
Just weeks earlier, an Aug. 22 shooting on Old Waynesboro Road left a 21-year-old man dead and a woman hospitalized, a case the Richmond County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division has been investigating as a homicide. And a late-night shooting on Amsterdam Drive on Sept. 4 left a 39-year-old man dead, marking Richmond County's 15th homicide recorded so far in 2026.
Domestic Violence a Recurring Danger in the Augusta Area
Domestic disputes escalating into gunfire have proven especially deadly elsewhere in the Central Savannah River Area this year. A domestic shooting in nearby Grovetown in April left a mother dead and her estranged husband dead by suicide during a police pursuit, orphaning three children and spurring calls for stronger local crisis support.
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Eugene “Gino” Brantley, is the largest full-service sheriff's department in Georgia, employing more than 750 personnel across a 328-square-mile jurisdiction. The agency is currently working under added scrutiny after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested former Major Robert “Robbie” W. Silas on Aug. 31 on felony charges of pandering and violation of oath of office, following an FBI tip.
Suspects taken into custody by the department, including Ruffin, would typically be booked into a detention center.
Resources for Domestic Violence Survivors
Anyone in Richmond County affected by domestic abuse can seek help from local resources.
