Suspect wanted after Augusta shooting kills an unidentified male victim

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A violent week in the CSRA continued Friday with Augusta’s latest homicide.

Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said the victim was found in the 2200 block of Wade Road.

According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Rigoberto Fortin Padilla, 21, is wanted for murder in connection to this shooting.

Officials describe him as being 6 feet tall and weighing around 180 pounds.

Padilla was last seen on foot leaving Wade Road and is considered armed and dangerous, according to officials.

According to Bowen, the victim had been shot a short time before then.

He was pronounced dead on the scene at 10 a.m. but still hadn’t been identified as of 9:30 p.m.

Callers may remain anonymous. Anyone with information on Padilla, contact Investigator Sean Morrow or any violent crimes investigator at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 432-5281 or (706) 821-1080.

His death comes amid a rash of deadly crimes that’s claimed more than 80 lives since mid-April 2022 across the CSRA.

Communities large and small have battled the problem on both sides of the Savannah River, but Augusta – the largest city in the region – has been hit especially hard.

Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs, with many of the victims as well as suspects being young men.

There’s already been one fatal shooting this week in the CSRA. On Tuesday, Ruth Ann Whitaker, 70, was found shot to death inside her home at 1404 Woodbine Road in Aiken. Her husband, Richard Whitaker, 70, was arrested.

Then on Thursday, two women were injured in a shooting at 134 Liberty Hill Road in Aiken County. Stephon Xzavier Dunbar, 22, of Beech Island, is being sought as a suspect.

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