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Newton High to dismiss early after threat prompts lockdown
Newton High
Staff Report
Updated: Apr 13, 2023, 4:08 PM
Published:

COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton High students returned to class at around 11 a.m. today and will be allowed to leave early after the school was placed on lockdown in response to verbal threats made this morning.

"All students and staff have reentered the school building, without incident," the Newton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. 

Sherri Partee, NCSS director of public information, said Newton High will dismiss students early — at 12:15 p.m. — today "due to the disruption."

"Parents who choose to pick their students up as car riders may enter the campus after 12:30 p.m.," Partee said.

Partee said in an earlier statement at about 10:15 a.m. that the incident began when "Newton High School was evacuated this morning for a fire alarm."

"During the evacuation, comments were made that were a cause for concern. Law enforcement is on [the] scene investigating. Students are still outside as a precaution. At this time, no one may enter or exit the campus."

The sheriff's office had earlier reported that the "threats were made to harm the students and staff at Newton High School."

"There is not an active shooter at Newton High School," the NCSO said in the statement. 

The school was placed on a lockdown while law enforcement officials conducted a search of the building, the sheriff's office stated. 

"Nothing is more important than the safety and security of the school’s students and staff, and we are taking these threats very seriously," the statement said. 
Authorities release identities from Friday morning shootings
All four worked at Walmart; suspect in custody
IMG_0638.jpg
The Salem Road Walmart was closed to the public on Friday following the early morning shooting spree. - photo by Evan Newton
Kate Verity
Updated: Apr 11, 2025, 8:44 PM
Published: Apr 11, 2025, 8:05 PM

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) held a press conference on Friday afternoon identifying the suspect and victims from the Friday morning attacks.

According to the NCSO, 21-year-old Khalaf Barksdale of Conyers was the first man killed inside the Walmart on Salem Road. Then 20-year-old Ryan Bradley of Covington was shot and injured. While it was originally believed Bradley was shot in the parking lot, the NCSO confirmed he was shot inside the actual store.

The third victim, who was shot in a residence on Emerson Trail, was confirmed by the NCSO to be 19-year-old Akeela Clarke of Covington. 

Bradley was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. He is now listed as stable, according to the NCSO.

Barksdale and Clarke were pronounced deceased at each respective scene.


The suspected shooter is 24-year-old Dwayne Eduh of Covington. 

Following the three attacks, Eduh fled east on I-20. The NCSO, assisted by the Georgia State Patrol, requested further assistance from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and South Carolina State Troopers.

According to a press release from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, they entered into a “brief standoff” with Eduh at 3:55 a.m., after which Eduh shot himself. No deputies were injured.

Eduh remains in critical condition at a hospital in Augusta. The NCSO was unable to say where Eduh administered the self-inflicted shot. 

The NCSO also corrected a previous finding where it was believed that the first victim was shot and killed inside the Walmart and the second victim was shot and injured in the store’s parking lot.

All four people involved worked at the Salem Road Walmart.

Clarke’s family members were at the NCSO’s news conference. They alleged that it took authorities nearly half an hour to respond to their 911 call.

“So it took 29 minutes to leave from Walmart a mile away to go to 345 Emerson Trail, my house,” said Samantha Clarke, who lived with Akeela. “Twenty-nine minutes it took you guys to come to my house. It's actually 29 odd minutes because I called and my daughter called, she was on the phone for 29 minutes.”

NCSO Public Information Officer and Sergeant Jack Redlinger, who spoke at the conference, said the office’s response time would be looked into.

“We are not familiar with that, but we will check into that with 911 and find out exactly how many minutes,” Redlinger said.

The NCSO was unable to comment on the motive or the victims’ relationship with one another and their attackers, saying they can only confirm them to have been “acquaintances” as of now.

“We don't know [the] motive at this time,” Redlinger said. “All I know is that they were acquaintances and they all worked here at Walmart.”

What led to Eduh’s attacks remains unclear. The investigation remains active. 

The Walmart on Salem Road is closed for the remainder of today.

The original reports associated with this story are located here.