UPDATE No. 2 (12 p.m.):
Multiple news outlets have reported that family members of the third victim in the attacks have confirmed the victim to be 19-year-old Akeela Clark. They say that Clark was also employed at the Walmart on Salem Road.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) has not yet been able to confirm any of the victims’ identities with The Covington News.
The NCSO did release that the attack was targeted and that the suspect traveled to a residence on Emerson Trail, broke in and killed one individual. Several outlets report that Clark was the person killed and that her family members were present in the home but were unharmed.
UPDATE No. 1 (10:45 a.m.):
After fleeing east, the suspect was apprehended by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) in South Carolina. The ACSO told the NCSO that they engaged in a standoff where the suspect shot himself. The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
The Covington News has reached out to the ACSO for more information regarding the suspect’s capture and has yet to hear back.
The NCSO confirmed that the first victim who was shot inside the Walmart was also employed at the grocery store. The sheriff’s office has not released the victims’ identities at this time.
Walmart’s corporate office has released a statement on the incident.
“We’re heartbroken by what’s happened,” a Walmart spokesperson said. “There’s no place for violence in our stores. We’re focused on taking care of our associates and supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW (7:45 a.m.):
NEWTON COUNTY — In the early hours of Friday morning, an employee from the Walmart on Salem Road shot three different individuals. Authorities later apprehended the suspect in South Carolina.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) has released what happened based on their preliminary investigation.
According to the NCSO’s findings, at approximately 1:30 a.m., one of the Walmart’s employees allegedly shot and killed another person inside the store, which was closed at the time. The suspect had exited the store to retrieve the firearm and returned inside to attack the other individual. The NCSO release calls the victim an “acquaintance” of the shooter.
The NCSO reports that the suspect encountered another “acquaintance” upon exiting the Walmart. The suspect also shot this person, who was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
No updates on this victim’s condition have been released.
The shooter then reportedly targeted another “acquaintance” at a residence on Emerson Trail. The suspect forced entry into the home, fatally shooting a third person.
It is not clear if this residence was the home of the victim or if anyone else was present during the shooting.
It is also not clear if any of the three victims were also employed at Walmart, nor has the NCSO released any information about the shooter’s possible motives.
There is currently no identifying information available for the suspect or the three victims. But the shooter is in custody.
“This was not an active shooter situation,” the NCSO’s release states. “The suspect specifically targeted individuals they knew.”
The investigation is still ongoing. The Covington News will post updates as they are made available.
