An Augusta couple are dead following a murder-suicide Monday outside an Aiken gas station, authorities said.
Authorities say the man had come to Murphy Express gas station on Richland Avenue where his wife worked and got into an argument with her around 10:52 a.m. Monday. An off-duty deputy was nearby and tried to intervene during the argument, but he was unsuccessful in stopping the gunfire, Aiken Public Safety Capt. Marty Sawyer said.
As officers were arriving, 43-year-old Tiffany Britt was shot by her husband, 55-year-old George Britt, Coroner Darryl Ables said.
“Mrs. Britt was transported to Aiken Regional Medical Centers where she was pronounced deceased,” Ables said in a press release. “Mr. Britt was pronounced deceased on scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Both will be autopsied Wednesday morning in Newberry.”
The deputy suffered minor injuries while trying to help. The State Law Enforcement Division has been asked to investigate because an officer was involved, Capt. Sawyer said.
In a cryptic post on his Facebook page on Dec. 30, George Britt wrote about his love for his wife and how he could never live without her in his life.
“I love this woman to death,” he wrote on the post. “She is the love of my life and my world. I will do anything to protect her. I could never see my life without you. I cherish every minute we have together. I love you with all my heart.”
A woman, who asked not be named, said Tiffany Britt took her in and raised her like her own child. She said George had children from a previous marriage while Tiffany did not.
“She took kids in and helped them when she could,” the woman said. “They were amazing people.”
Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Aiken Department of Public Safety at (803) 642- 7620 or submit an anonymous online tip at Crime Tip | City of Aiken, SC Government (cityofaikensc.gov).
(Check back here for more information on this developing story. If you have a photo of the victim to share, please text it to 803-487-3224.)
