Richmond County deputies returned fire early Saturday morning after a man involved in a domestic dispute shot at them during a chase and brief standoff, according to the GBI.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in the 1300 block of Anderson Avenue in Augusta about 2 a.m. A deputy tried to speak to 41-year-old Jasper Newton, but he ran from the scene, the GBI said in a news release.
After other deputies joined the chase, Newton fired at them. All three shot back.
Newton was found hiding in a vacant lot at the corner of Poplar Street and Holley Street, the GBI said. Despite being given commands to surrender, Newton again shot at the deputies, according to the release. Once again, the deputies returned fire.
Newton was eventually located hiding under a house in the 1500 block of Poplar Street. He sustained a gunshot wound and was sent to a hospital.
Once released, he will be transferred to the Webster Detention Center, the GBI said. He is charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and aggravated assault related to the domestic incident.
The three deputies who fired their guns during the incident were identified by the GBI as Melvin Walker, Corey Whitfield, and Joseph Hawk. Authorities did not say if they suffered any injuries.
It was the 78th officer-involved shooting the GBI has investigated this year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
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