Family members of a recent Augusta shooting victim, 61-year-old Tracy Waddell, are living a waking nightmare as their husband and father has succumbed to his injuries.
Waddell was shot in the head one week ago during a robbery attempt on Broad Street, which took place as bars and nightclubs were closing around 2 a.m.
Waddell died on April 26 at 3:30 p.m. after he was visited by an organ donation team that afternoon. Up until the point of his death, Waddell remained in critical condition.
An attempted robbery turns fatal
Da’Mon Cole, 28, and Destiny Reeves, 27, were both charged in the case and are expected to face new charges with the victim’s death.
Current charges include aggravated assault and criminal attempted armed robbery, with Cole also facing weapons charges as he is the one who allegedly fired the deadly shot.
Authorities say Reeves initially approached the victim on Broad Street and led him toward a nearby parked vehicle, where Cole was hiding. As they reached the vehicle, Cole reportedly emerged and shot Waddell in the back of the head with a pistol.
Waddell was found by deputies already on foot patrol in the area and was transported to Wellstar MCG Health.
The suspects were arrested in the immediate area. Cole is a previously convicted felon who served 10 years of a 20-year sentence for armed robbery in 2013 and was released in May 2023.
‘My dad was a good man ‘
According to Waddell’s future son-in-law Jacob Hanks on a Go Fund Me page, doctors were unsure if Waddell had taken one or two shots, but the wounds went through both hemispheres of his brain, “causing devastating damage.”
“My dad was a good man with a lot of love for everyone he met,” said Waddell’s daughter, Brianna. “If you knew him, you knew a lot about Harleys, both his girls, and Dee. He never missed an opportunity to brag on all of his girls and talk to you about his bike.”
Brianna took to social media days before his death, lamenting that her father would not be able to witness her upcoming life milestones, even if he were to survive.
“My father will never be able to see me graduate, or walk me down the aisle, even if he manages to pull through, and 30 seconds and two evil people took that all away from me,” she said in an April 20 Facebook post.
Crime reporter Greg Rickabaugh contributed to this story.
