By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is fighting for his life after being shot in a shootout with a homeless man, the Augusta Press reports.
Deputy Kenneth Mercer was taken to Augusta University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit on Saturday after he suffered a massive wound to his neck, Chief Deputy Pat Clayton wrote in a message to RCSO employees.
Clayton said the gunshot exited Mercer’s back shoulder.
The homeless man was killed in the shootout and has not been identified, the sheriff’s office said.
“Deputies learned that the man had been pointing the gun at people in the area earlier that day,” a GBI press release said. “Deputies found the man in an enclosed area of a business that bordered Ellis Street. Deputies confirmed that the man had a gun. While speaking with him in an attempt to get him to surrender, there was an exchange of gunfire between the deputies and the man.”
As of Sunday afternoon, Mercer was listed in critical but stable condition.