A Richmond County deputy call to a Circle K on Gordon Highway ended with one man dead and a store employee behind bars on a murder charge. Deputies say they responded to the station at 1947 Gordon Highway around 9:53 p.m. Wednesday to investigate reports of gunshots, where they found an adult male victim at the scene.
The victim has been identified by the Richmond County Coroner's Office as Eric Anthony Garvin of Augusta, according to WRDW. Garvin was taken to Wellstar MCG, where he died from his injuries, deputies told the station. The coroner's office said he was pronounced dead at 12:14 a.m. Thursday, and an autopsy has been scheduled.
According to The Augusta Press, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office said the shooting happened shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday outside the Gordon Highway store, with Sgt. Walter McNeil reporting that store employee Jabari Leverette allegedly shot the victim. Deputies arriving at the scene found the victim lying there after responding to reports of gunfire, and he was transported to the hospital before later dying of his injuries.
Age and Weapon Details Remain Unsettled
The accounts of Leverette's age diverge. The Augusta Press's reporting describes him as a 19-year-old Circle K employee, while WRDW identified him as a 20-year-old Augusta resident. Neither age has been independently confirmed beyond each outlet's own account.
The two outlets also differ on whether the victim was carrying a weapon. WRDW reported that deputies described a person armed with a knife being shot by the employee, while The Augusta Press's reporting indicates authorities had not confirmed reports that the victim was armed with a knife at the time of the shooting. A WJBF account, available only as a limited search-result snippet, says deputies located an adult male victim who had sustained at least one gunshot wound, though further details from that report could not be verified.
Coroner Works to Notify Family
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said his office was working to locate the victim's family and could not release the identity until relatives had been notified, per the Augusta Press account. Investigators questioned Leverette following the shooting.
Leverette was charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, the Augusta Press reports. WRDW similarly reported that deputies said Leverette was charged with murder and taken into custody. He is being held without bond at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in Augusta.
Not the First Shooting at an Augusta Circle K
This is not the only shooting to hit an Augusta Circle K in recent years, though the available evidence does not point to a broader pattern. In February 2023, a shooting occurred outside a Circle K at 3412 Mike Padgett Highway just before 11:30 p.m. on a Friday, according to the same WRDW report. Deputies at the time arrested 20-year-old Brandon Safford and charged him with aggravated assault with a weapon and first-degree criminal damage to property.
In that earlier case, deputies said an 18-year-old victim was found bleeding from gunshot wounds to his left arm and left leg in front of the cash counter and was taken to Augusta University Medical Center. Authorities reported that the victim returned fire during the exchange, and that the store's front windows were damaged by gunfire. No connection between the two incidents has been established beyond their shared location type.
