Funeral home director identified as man who shot girlfriend & killed himself in Augusta

Tommy King Jr. is shown at his funeral home, where a photo of his father hangs on the wall.

Date: June 02, 2023

The man who shot his girlfriend Thursday night and then killed himself has been identified as Thomas “Tommy” L. King Jr., funeral director and son of the former Columbia County coroner.

King, 62, reportedly got into an argument with his girlfriend at their residence on Henry Street in Augusta before shooting her in the abdomen and then killing himself.

“The female was transported to the hospital for treatment of her injury,” RCSO sheriff’s Sgt. John Perry said. “The male succumbed to his injury.”

According to the website for Thomas L. King Funeral Home in Martinez, King ran the business with his mother, Nancy B. King. He is a former Richmond County sheriff’s deputy and failed candidate for Columbia County Coroner after his father died in November 2006. His father served as Columbia County Coroner for 34 years. Vernon Collins was elected coroner after the elder King died.

The name and condition of King’s girlfriend had not been updated Friday morning. Check back here for updates on this developing story.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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