Two Arrested After Convenience Store Clerk Shot in Early-Morning Valdosta Attack
VALDOSTA, Ga. – Two men are in custody following a shooting that left a convenience store clerk wounded during the early morning hours of January 7, according to the Valdosta Police Department.
Police say E911 received a call around 5:45 a.m. reporting a shooting at a convenience store in the 1400 block of East Park Avenue. When officers arrived, they learned the clerk had been shot at multiple times. The victim suffered superficial injuries to the side of his head and an apparent gunshot wound to his torso.
Officers immediately provided first aid until South Georgia Medical Center EMS arrived and transported the clerk to the hospital. Authorities said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Detectives and crime scene personnel responded to the scene and began working the case. Two days later, on January 9, investigators identified a vehicle believed to be involved in the shooting. Detectives located the vehicle and found 19-year-old Elisha Hayes Jenkins and 23-year-old Augustus Shammond Bellamy inside, along with a rifle. Both men were taken into custody without incident.
The investigation continued at Bellamy’s residence, where detectives seized an AR-style pistol, two handguns, and approximately 95 grams of marijuana. Police said one of the handguns had been reported stolen and was equipped with an automatic switch, making it capable of firing as a machine gun.
Jenkins and Bellamy were transported to the Lowndes County Jail and face multiple felony charges.
Jenkins is charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Bellamy faces charges of aggravated assault as a party to the crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a machine gun, theft by receiving stolen property involving a firearm, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of drug-related objects.
Police say the investigation remains ongoing.
“I am very proud of our detectives and staff for their diligence and perseverance in investigating this case,” said Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan. “Because of their work, they seized several firearms out of the hands of those who should not have had them and removed dangerous subjects from our community.”
