Student May Be Expelled for Having Bullet Fragments

A kid in North Augusta is being recommended for expulsion after he brought spent bullet pieces to school. They are expected to speak with the Area 2 Advisory Council, but young Hunter Johnson’s father doesn’t understand all the bother.

The school’s policy is relatively clear – any kind of gun or ammunition in a student’s possession is grounds for firs offense expulsion recommendation. Even toy guns and things that resemble ammunition are grounds for suspension and/or expulsion.

Still the father, ever cynical, is unmoved:  “Rocks could do the same amount of damage… I just think, yes, he should have some kind of punishment. But he should have gotten detention. He could go behind the school and pull up weeds.”

The story behind the seemingly stupid mistake seems enough to exonerate the boy – he is a hunter, and he and his father were at a firing range, and they were digging up fragments in the clay hills. Hunter forgot that he had a bag of fragments in his pocket – which he dropped and were spotted by a teacher.

Recommendation for expulsion doesn’t necessarily mean Hunter will be expelled, as worse things have gone unpunished, according to the school.

The hearing will take place tonight.

Deadly Ambush Shooting Results in Murder

Beech Island was the site of a horrific ambush murder early Friday, according to police.

Twenty-five year old Timothy Wilson was shot in the head after he and some friends were ambushed by gunmen hiding in the woods at around 2:30 am. The Aiken Standard reports that the two surviving men said they were en route to a Beech Island building to record some music. Before they even made it to the studio, shots started firing at their Chevy Tahoe.

In defense, one man with the victim was firing back at the ambushers with a semi-automatic weapon. After he fired back, the attackers ran back into the woods – possibly saving the men from further damage. However, the shooters are currently unaccounted for.

Wilson would die as a result of his injuries 4:15 pm at MCG Health.

An investigation is no doubt underway, but if you have any information regarding this shooting, you are urged to contact the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 800-922-9709.

Suspect Runs Free During Standoff

Police are asking for the public’s help after a man surreptitiously crept out of the back of a Hugh Street apartment as police gathered in a standoff.

The suspect, 23 year old James Albert Thomas Jr., was engaged in a fight with his 28 year old girlfriend when he pushed her out the front door, armed with a gun. A worried witness called police. When authorities showed up, the girlfriend was gone but Thomas remained  – with five children.

When authorities ordered Thomas to stand down, he fired back with obscenities from outside of an upstairs window. After this exchange, Thomas shut the window, cut the interior lights and seemingly vanished.

Police, suspecting he got away while a sizable crowd was gathering, proceeded to evacuate the surrounding neighbors and set up a perimeter. The children were safely taken out of the home.

Thomas is wanted for criminal domestic violence, two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm. He also reportedly threatened to kill his girlfriend and children.

For more information, read the full article at The Aiken Standard.