A North Augusta man suffered minor injuries Friday afternoon in a road-rage shooting on East Martintown Road, and the suspect fled into Augusta, authorities said.
The victim, identified as John Byrd Jr., told authorities that a man in a tan SUV cut him off on Knox Avenue around 1:20 p.m. Friday as he was driving in his white Chevrolet Tahoe. As the vehicles stopped at East Martintown Road, the suspect began yelling at him. When they stopped again at East Martintown Road and Atomic Road, the incident turned violent.
“The victim stated the suspect then brandished a handgun and shot one time into his vehicle,” North Augusta Department of Public Safety Lt. Luke Sherman said. “The victim stated he sped away and proceeded to the Sprint Station.”
The suspect followed the victim until the off-ramp and kept going into Georgia. The suspect was described as “a black male, approximately 40-50 years of age, driving a tan in color SUV,” according to Sherman.
North Augusta officers found the victim bleeding from the right side of his head and determined he sustained a minor cut to his right ear, possibly from shrapnel.
Officers were seen searching the roadway for evidence and had cleared the scene by around 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com
