The homeless man who died Saturday in a shootout that left a Richmond County deputy critically injured has been arrested twice in the same Ellis Street neighborhood.
Th 36-year-old man has not been named by the coroner’s office as they try to locate family, but The Augusta Press confirmed his identity with sources within the law enforcement community.
Arrest records show the suspect was arrested on April 14 and April 28 for trespassing and looking into cars along Ellis and 12th streets. That is the same area where he reportedly shot Deputy Kenneth Mercer Saturday morning after a woman called the sheriff’s office to complain about the suspect yelling at people. The suspect was killed, and the GBI is investigating.
The deceased man appears to be from New Jersey, according to online records and local authorities. It’s not clear when or why he arrived in Augusta, but he started bothering people on Ellis Street in the spring, according to arrest warrants.
On April 14, deputies were called about the man because he had been asked repeatedly to leave the property. The man refused and told a sergeant to take him to jail. He was arrested without incident, authorities said.
The man was released right away on his own recognizance. On April 28, just two weeks later, the sheriff’s office got a call about a suspicious person trying to enter cars on 12th, Ellis and Broad streets. He was arrested again without incident.
The suspect was represented by Assistant Public Defender Casey Mosley and pleaded guilty to both trespassing charges on May 3. It appears he was released May 11 with time served and no fines, according to online court records.
