In the fading light of a Tuesday evening in Augusta, Georgia, on April 30, 2024, the life of 14-year-old Anthony Harrison was tragically cut short. A promising young man and an eighth-grader at Murphey Middle School, Anthony was looking forward to starting at Josey High School in the fall, where he was already participating in football workouts. That evening, however, shots rang out at the Cedarwood Apartments on West Richmond Hill Road.
When Richmond County Sheriff's deputies arrived just before 8 p.m., they found Anthony had been shot at least once. Despite the immediate response, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:30 p.m.
The news of the young male's death sent ripples of grief through his family and the wider community. His mother and grandmother expressed their profound sorrow through emotional social media posts, remembering a boy with 'BIG DREAMS.' The community mourned the loss of a student-athlete described as a great kid both on and off the court. In the days that followed, family and friends gathered for a balloon release at Josey High School's football stadium to honor his memory.
The investigation into Anthony's death quickly focused on a single suspect: 15-year-old Darryaun Tanksley. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant for his arrest, considering him armed and dangerous. The search for Tanksley concluded when he turned himself in to authorities on the following Sunday. He has since been charged with murder and is facing the charge as an adult. While a motive for the shooting has not been publicly released, the legal process against the suspect is underway.
