Authorities have arrested a suspect in the death of an Augusta code enforcement officer who was shot and killed Thursday during a service call.
The Augusta Chronicle reported the suspect, 65-year-old Smitty Oliver Melton, was arrested in Aiken County.
Charles “Chip” Case was killed after being shot at least once on 13th Avenue, Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said, according to the Aiken Standard. He was pronounced dead at 10:25 a.m.
Case worked for Animal Services before transferring to Planning and Development, Sims said.
On Thursday, officers with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office surrounded Melton’s home. According to court records, The Chronicle reported, the home is in foreclosure proceedings because Melton has not paying property taxes.
Neighbor Tamekila Walton said she heard four gunshots. She said and multiple other people ran and found Case lying in the road. He was still alive, she said.
Police arrived and officers began administering CPR but Walton said it looked like Case died before an ambulance arrived.
Police say Melton is being held in Aiken County pending extradition to Augusta, where he will face murder and possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime charges.
An autopsy for Case will be conducted by officials at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab.
Those with information on the incident are asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (706) 821-1020 or (706) 821-1080.
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