Second suspect wanted in Augusta murder outside Smart Grocery

Sanqwon Berry

Date: January 11, 2024

Richmond County authorities are seeking a second suspect in the Dec. 11 shooting death at Smart Grocery on Wrightsboro Road.

Sanqwon Berry, 16, is wanted for murder in the death of 32-year-old Jeremiah Griffin at the business on Wrightsboro Road. Berry is known to frequent the 3200 block of Wrightsboro Road.

On Dec. 11, deputies responded to gunfire at 8:50 p.m. and found the victim dead from at least one gunshot. Right away, authorities identified Berry as the shooter, but this week marks the first time the sheriff’s office has publicly released the teen suspect’s name and photo.

A second suspect, 21-year-old Tashanna McDaniel, was charged last month with murder for driving the shooter to the store, where he got into a verbal argument with Griffin before shooting him.

Tashanna McDaniel

McDaniel allegedly did not report the shooting after driving away from the store without Berry. Once captured, Berry is facing charges of murder and weapon possession. He will be charged as an adult, authorities said.

The killing at Smart Grocery comes a year after another homicide at the same store. On Sept. 30, 2022, Zayquantez Jones, 17, was shot at the business. Darontaye Cummings, 17, of Augusta, has been indicted for malice murder in that case.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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