The suspect in a shooting that led to the lockdown of a U.S. Army base near Augusta on Saturday had nearly made it across the state before being arrested in Meriwether County, according to officials.
Fort Eisenhower was on lockdown for two hours after the shooting, which left one man dead, authorities said. The victim’s identity hasn’t been released.
The incident took place at a housing unit located on the base and prompted an alert to be issued on social media around 8:30 a.m., stating, “LOCK DOWN! LOCK DOWN! Execute lock down procedures on the installation immediately! If you are in danger take appropriate action!”
An all-clear alert was issued about an hour later, but activities related to Saturday’s Army-Navy football game, which was played near Washington, were canceled.
According to Meriwether Sheriff Chuck Smith, around 10:45 a.m., his office was given a description of the suspect, who was going to be traveling through the county. Deputies set up watch along I-85 South.
When the suspect reached their post, the deputies initiated a traffic stop around the 29-mile marker, Smith said. During the stop, the deputies saw the suspect throw a handgun out of the passenger side window. The person was then taken into custody without incident and transported to the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect’s name and other identifying details also have not been released.
“I appreciate the work that our personnel and all other supporting agencies did in the apprehension of this wanted suspect,” Smith said in a statement. “I am grateful that the suspect was taken into custody without further incident during this high-risk encounter. Our personnel did an outstanding job which is a testament to the dangers and risk that law enforcement officers face daily with positive results.”
The suspect in this case investigation was turned over to the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division along with the recovered evidence, which was not detailed in the statement.
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