AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Georgia deputy with nearly 20 years of experience was shot and killed Tuesday night in Augusta.
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is mourning his loss. It's a loss people across the state are feeling.
Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree says 51-year-old Investigator Cecil Ridley was with other deputies in the process of a gun roundup near the convenience store when the shooting happened.
All day sheriff's offices and police departments around Central Georgia have posted about the shooting saying it hit close to home.
Roundtree says deputies tried to stop 24-year-old Alvin Hester Junior in a convenience store parking lot.
But the sheriff says Hester went inside the store instead of stopping and deputies followed him. That's when they say Hester started shooting with one of his three guns hitting and killing Ridley.
"I want him to be a symbol of what we are trying to do here in Richmond County. We are trying to eliminate and reduce gun violence in Richmond County at the risk of our lives," said Roundtree.
In a news conference, Roundtree described the fallen deputy and how he wants him to be remembered.
His death was felt in Bibb County and other county's sheriff's offices and police departments. They posted on Facebook about how he paid the ultimate sacrifice.
His death struck friends and family members all over Central Georgia. Mount de Sales Academy Principal Mike Franklin says Ridley's daughter is a student in Macon.
Sarina Morris posted on Facebook saying Ridley's daughter is her niece. She asked the community to keep the family in their prayers.
"He was out there for the citizens of Richmond County. He was out there for people he didn't even know," said Roundtree.
Two other officers inside the store shot Hester. Both men were taken to the hospital where Investigator Ridley died.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says they've secured warrants for Hester from the Richmond County Superior Court on several charges. Charges include murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The two officers that shot at Hester are currently on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
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