51-year-old arrested in shooting at Columbia County Hardee’s

Published: Jun. 11, 2024 at 12:16 PM EDT|Updated: Jun. 12, 2024 at 6:48 AM EDT
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EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A suspect was taken into custody after gunfire erupted after two regular lunch customers at a Hardee’s got into a dispute, according to Columbia County deputies.

No one was hurt, authorities took the suspect, identified as Servey Markovich Kleyman, 51, into custody on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm or knife during a crime and reckless conduct.

The incident happened around noon Tuesday at the Hardee’s a Wrightsboro Road and Jimmie Dyess Parkway.

Deputies said two regular customers arrived together, but got into an argument in the parking lot.

They split up and one of them went in.

The other followed, thinking the dispute was over, deputies said.

When he got inside, the other customer had a gun pointed at him and fired at least two rounds, deputies said.

The bullets missed and no one was hurt.

The customer who’d been fired at ran to a nearby gas station and called 911, deputies said, and the suspect was found and arrested.

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After the incident, the Hardee’s had yellow crime tape all around it and at least four deputies on the scene, along with a K-9.

The location is right on Richmond-Columbia County line, and Hardee’s is on the Columbia County side. Also nearby are a few hotels, a strip shopping center and some gas stations, among other businesses.

This was the scene after gunfire erupted at a Hardee's at Jimmie Dyess Parkway and Wrightsboro...
This was the scene after gunfire erupted at a Hardee's at Jimmie Dyess Parkway and Wrightsboro Road on June 11, 2024.(WRDW/WAGT)

Authorities said no roads were shut down.

It comes just two days after gunfire broke out in downtown Augusta on a crowded sidewalk, sending three people to hospitals, including a suspect gunman, who was shot by deputies.

The incident comes amid an outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 150 lives in a little over two years across the CSRA. Communities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River.