The suspect accused in a double murder at a North Augusta convenience store has been released from the hospital and transferred to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in Augusta, where he is being held without bond.
Authorities say he is awaiting extradition to Aiken County to face charges connected to the deadly Oct. 26 shooting.
J’shawn Deonte Dukes, 21, of Garfield, Georgia, was moved from Wellstar MCG Health in Augusta on Monday after recovering from injuries sustained when he was shot by a police officer during the incident. He is expected to appear in court for an extradition hearing as early as Wednesday morning. He is being held for SLED, which has taken over the murder case.
According to North Augusta Public Safety, Dukes is accused of killing 76-year-old Jewel Harden and 33-year-old Thomas B. Lilly Jr. during an armed robbery at the Sprint gas station on Edgefield Road. Investigators say the confrontation turned violent around 2 p.m. when officers responded to reports of shots fired and an armed suspect on the scene.
When officers arrived, they observed Dukes walking away from a burgundy Toyota Camry carrying a rifle. Authorities say Dukes ignored commands to drop his weapon and instead pointed it at officers, prompting Cpl. Dillon Givens to fire his service weapon, striking the suspect. Officers rendered medical aid to Dukes before securing the scene.
Inside the gas station, officers found Harden and Lilly fatally shot near the front register. Store employees had locked themselves inside an office for safety until the scene was cleared.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has taken over the investigation, as is standard in officer-involved shootings. North Augusta Public Safety Chief Junior Johnson said the department is cooperating fully with SLED investigators.
Dukes, who has a prior arrest in Georgia for reckless conduct and battery in 2023, is being held pending extradition to South Carolina.
Records from Georgia Southern University’s police department show that J’shawn Deonte Dukes, now 21, was previously arrested in Statesboro in 2023 after an incident involving a pellet gun. According to the report, officers responded to Eagle Village on March 22, 2023, after two female students reported being shot with Orbeez pellets from a passing vehicle.
