On a Tuesday evening in Augusta, Georgia, 51-year-old Investigator Cecil Ridley was working to make the city's streets safer. As a member of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office narcotics unit, he was part of a proactive team specifically tasked with curbing a recent wave of gun violence in the area. On November 19, 2019, this vital work would tragically be his last.
While patrolling, Ridley and his fellow deputies noticed a group of people loitering in front of the Augusta Mart at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 12th Street and decided to make contact.
As the investigators approached, one of the individuals, later identified as 24-year-old Alvin Theodore Hester Jr., broke away from the group and entered the convenience store. Another deputy followed Hester inside and attempted to speak with him. At that moment, Investigator Ridley was walking into the store through the front doors. As Hester turned to exit, he came face-to-face with Ridley and immediately opened fire, striking the veteran officer. The sudden violence left Ridley unable to return fire.
Other deputies on the scene reacted instantly. As Hester fled into the parking lot, they returned fire, wounding him and taking him into custody. Investigator Ridley was rushed to Augusta University Medical Center, but he succumbed to his injuries. The man who shot him, Alvin Theodore Hester Jr., was a convicted felon on parole for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
Following the shooting, Hester was treated for his injuries under guard and then booked into the county jail. He was charged with murder, aggravated assault, and multiple firearms offenses. In February 2020, a grand jury indicted Hester on 16 counts, including malice murder. A second person, 18-year-old Deonquez Reid, was also arrested in connection with the incident, charged with felony tampering with evidence.
