Two killed and suspected gunman shot by law enforcement, SC officials say
Two people were killed Sunday and another person was injured in a shooting that involved law enforcement officers, South Carolina officials said.
Jewel Harden, a 76-year-old Hephzibah, Georgia resident, and 33-year-old Williston resident Thomas B. Lilly Jr., were identified as the shooting victims who died, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said Monday.
Multiple shootings happened Sunday afternoon at the Sprint gas station/convenience store at 107 Edgefield Road in North Augusta, according to officials. That’s in a part of Aiken County between I-20 and I-520, not far from the state line separating South Carolina and Georgia.
At 3:45 p.m., the North Augusta Department of Public Safety said officers were at the gas station following the shootings.
Officers originally responded to reports of a shooting at the gas station, when one encountered an armed suspect in the parking lot, according to the department of public safety. The suspected gunman was shot by the officer, the department of public safety said.
It was when the armed man raised the AR-style pistol that the officer shot him, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The suspected gunman, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to an area hospital, according to the department of public safety. Further information on the suspected gunman’s condition was not available.
Harden and Lilly had been shot before officers got to the gas station, according to the department of public safety.
Harden and Lilly died at the scene, the coroner’s office said.
No other injuries were reported, and SLED said that no law enforcement officers were hurt.
Because the suspected gunman was shot by a law enforcement officer, the department of public safety said it asked SLED to lead the investigation into both shootings.
Harden and Lilly will be autopsied Wednesday in Newberry, according to the coroner’s office.
No arrests have been reported.
Information about a motive for the original shooting was not available, and there was no word if anyone else other than the two victims and the suspected gunman was involved.
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This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Two killed and suspected gunman shot by law enforcement, SC officials say."
