‘She loved God’: Church remembers victim of local gas station shooting

NORTH AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A local church speaking out three days after a shooting killed one of its members at the Sprint gas station in North Augusta.

Jewel Harden, 76, was one of the two victims who were killed after authorities say a suspect opened fire at the sprint on Edgefield Road on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Harden’s church held a bible study in her memory.

Finance Bush Jr. is the bishop at Crown Kingdom Cultural Center. He tells us Harden was a member of the church for more than 20 years.

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He described her as always being involved in the community and family-oriented.

“We called her Miss Jewel. Her name was emblematic of her essence,” said said Bishop Bush.

A woman whose light shined at every corner of the church.

 ”She inherited a name that was descriptive of her purpose,” said Bush.

In a time when communities are searching for hope, Jewel’s story shows how one person’s light can shine even after they’re gone.

Rhonda Bush Johnson, member services manager, said Harden always sat in the same spot during services.

“Her spirit would always sit on that third row in the middle aisle,” Johnson said. “Whatever’s going on in the church, Ms. Jewel sat on that third seat.”

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Johnson said Harden was known for her welcoming nature.

“She just loved people. She loved God. She loved church,” Johnson said. “When she walk up to you, you couldn’t resist her because she always had that big smile.”

Bush said the church plans to turn the tragedy into community action.

“We may not stop at all, but we can stop enough to make our communities a little bit safer,” Bush said.

Final message to pastor

Bush said Harden left him one last message before her death.

“She said, Bishop, I’m free because I listen, I hear and I pay attention and I do what you say and the word really does work,” Bush said. “See this as a moment of transition because God has me and I want y’all to know that I’m securing him.”

The church says it plans to hold initiatives in Harden’s name because of her love for God and her community.

SLED has taken over the investigation. The agency has not released the suspect’s name or a motive in the shooting. It’s unclear whether investigators believe this was a targeted or random attack.