In the early morning hours of February 7, 2022, the life of 55-year-old Shina Wiggins, an African American woman, was tragically cut short in her Dublin, Georgia home. A paraprofessional and bus driver for Hillcrest Elementary School, she was a cherished member of the community.
The events unfolded as a horrific murder-suicide perpetrated by her estranged husband, Sunoco Wiggins, amidst divorce proceedings between the couple. Laurens County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call regarding a suspicious person and discovered Shina's 16-year-old son suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at a neighbor's house. The teenager bravely identified his stepfather as the shooter, stating that his mother had also been shot.
Upon their arrival at the Wiggins' residence on John Lowery Road, law enforcement found the house engulfed in flames. After the fire was extinguished, Shina Wiggins's body was discovered inside. The investigation quickly pointed to Sunoco Wiggins as the primary suspect in his wife's murder and the attempted murder of his stepson.
Following the violent attack, Sunoco Wiggins fled the scene. His vehicle was later located in Soperton, approximately 25 miles away. As law enforcement officers closed in, he took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound before he could be taken into custody. Miraculously, Shina's teenage son survived his injuries and was expected to recover. The devastating incident left the Dublin community in shock, prompting Hillcrest Elementary School to provide grief counseling for students and staff to cope with the loss of their beloved colleague.
