The Burke County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that one of its deputies was terminated after he shot at a suspect who allegedly attempted to burglarize his Richmond County home.
Andra Gardner was off duty when a neighbor notified him about 2 a.m. Thursday that access was open to his home, located in the 1000 block of Caddenwoods Drive, and a burglary could have possibly taken place, the Burke County Sheriff's Office told the Augusta Chronicle.
After being notified, Gardner went to his house to find a man leaving his yard and jumping the fence. Burke County Sheriff’s officials say Gardner targeted shots at the suspect with his personal gun, shooting at the alleged burglar several times.
Credit: Burke County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Burke County Sheriff's Office
Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived about 2:30 a.m., but they could not locate a suspect. Upon questioning the deputy, investigators suspected that Gardner smelled of alcohol and could be intoxicated. About 4:38 a.m. Thursday, the department gave him an alco-sensor test, which came back positive.
The Burke County Sheriff’s Office reviewed details of the incident, and they determined Gardner’s judgment of using deadly force on an unarmed suspect was detrimental.
“We hold our deputies to the highest of standards, especially regarding the use of deadly force. Based on all evidence presented, Deputy Gardner’s actions were not consistent with department policy or use of force standards,” Burke County Chief Deputy Lewis Blanchard told the newspaper.
Gardner was still in his probationary period because he started with the department Oct. 21.
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