One of three suspects linked to the shooting at the Augusta Mall has been captured in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Kay Sean-Neely, 20, has been arrested and held for Georgia on a charge of aggravated assault in the April 28 shooting that left a local man with gunshot wounds to his back and hand.
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Tybrea Nelson, 24, was arrested April 30 and charged with two counts of aggravated assault. She is accused of aiding the shooter in getting away.
On May 1, authorities identified Kay-Sean Nelly, 20, and convicted felon Samoney Tanksley, 26, as two additional suspects being sought in the shooting. Tanksley is still being sought.
The chaotic scene inside Dillard’s left one person injured and prompted the abrupt closure of the shopping center. Online, some residents compared the current conditions at Augusta Mall to the former Regency Mall, which failed due, in part, to crime and security problems.
At the Augusta Mall, the harrowing gunfire rattled both shoppers and employees, prompting a frantic scramble for safety. Some shoppers and employees ran for the exits with others hid wherever they could before feeling safe to leave. Deputies swiftly swarmed the shopping center with K9 units and investigators to look for the suspects and investigate the incident.
Reports indicate Nelson was in the company of the shooter around 1:40 p.m. on April 28 when gunfire erupted within the store’s aisles. The victim, 20-year-old Tyquez Evans of Augusta, suffered gunshot wounds and was listed in stable condition the following Monday. An older woman escaped unscathed.
Following the incident, Nelson and the unidentified shooter fled the mall, departing in a vehicle. Nelson then dropped off the shooter at another location, according to authorities.
Nelson has a history of theft, including recent incidents at Belk and Old Navy. Despite previous run-ins with the law, she has frequently evaded authorities and shown reluctance to cooperate.
Nealy has no criminal record in Richmond or Columbia counties, according to court records.
But Tanksley is a felon who was just 15 when she was charged as an adult in a violent home invasion in Augusta that sent her to prison. She served two stints in prison for burglary and armed robbery from 2015 until her release in January 2020. But she returned in late 2020 and remained in prison until March 6, 2024, possibly from a probation violation.
