A single father from Grovetown was fatally stabbed late Monday in a Washington Road parking lot while waiting for a ride home from a night class at Helms College, and Richmond County authorities are now searching for a suspect captured on surveillance camera.
Deputies were called to 3145 Washington Road at 11:09 p.m. Monday in reference to a deceased person in the parking lot, which is the Village West Shopping Center and location for Helms College. Upon arrival, officers found 30-year-old Martin Louis Gordon, of Grovetown, unresponsive.
The incident was initially thought to be traffic-related, but investigators later determined Gordon had been stabbed at least once. He was pronounced dead at 11:35 p.m. by Deputy Coroner Kenneth Boose, authorities said. An autopsy has been scheduled.
Authorities said the suspect fled on foot toward Washington Road and should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Courtland Harris or any Violent Crimes Investigator with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 821-1455 or (706) 821-1020.
Gordon was a student at Helms College in Augusta, a career-training institution operated by Goodwill Industries. Helms College offers programs in hospitality, health services, and industrial trades and provides hands-on training designed to help students enter the workforce directly after graduation.
On his Facebook page, Martin posted that he was studying at Helms College to be a HVAC technician, and he had made the President’s List this fall. He previously attended Washington College Technical College and served in the Army. He also previously worked as forklift operator and package handler at Amazon Warehouse HGR2.
The victim’s sister-in-law said Martin moved to Grovetown from Maryland in January, bringing his 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son to live with them and start over. He had enrolled at Helms College. On Monday night, they had a transportation issue, and Martin thought about missing class but decided not to, since he didn’t want to mess up his perfect attendance record.
Martin’s brother was running late to pick him up after class ended after the victim was unable to get a ride home. When the brother arrived at Helms College nearly an hour after classes ended, he found Martin’s body, according to the sister-in-law.
“Somebody just walked up to him and started stabbing him. He was not a confrontational guy at all,” said the sister-in-law, who asked that her name not be used. “We don’t even know who did it or why.”
Meanwhile, the grieving family delayed telling his children what happened, taking them to school Tuesday. “We just wanted to give them one more day,” the sister-in-law said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by family to provide for Martin’s children and help support their future during this unimaginably difficult time. Click here to go to the fundraiser.
The investigation remains ongoing.
