Suspect in Aiken County, Wrens shootings charged with attempting to murder police

Aug. 17—The suspect in two CSRA shootings last weekend is now charged with attempting to murder three police officers.

Larry Bernard Mackie Jr., 30, who was previously charged with the murder of a Graniteville teen, is now charged with five counts of attempted murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

New warrants show that in addition to attempting to murder his other two family members at the Graniteville residence, Mackie attempted to murder police officers when they responded to the incident.

Mackie attempted to take the service weapons of two officers while actively fighting with law enforcement, according to arrest warrants obtained from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

Before trying to take their guns, Mackie stated "that he would kill law enforcement if he got their weapon," according to warrants.

Three of the warrants list officers as the victim of attempted murder.

Saturday's shootings

At approximately 8:55 a.m. on Saturday, an individual entered the Family Dollar on N. Main Street in Wrens and fired multiple shots at the store clerk, "striking them at least once," according to a release from the Wrens Police Department.

Police said robbery does not appear to have been a motive.

Just a few hours after the shooting in Wrens, Nathaniel Tyler Johnson, 14, was shot and killed at a residence on Saddlebrook Trail in Graniteville.

A 911 caller reported the shooting around 11:51 a.m., according to a release from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene with at least one gunshot wound, according to a release from the Aiken County Coroner's Office.

On Monday, Capt. Eric Abdullah from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office confirmed the suspect as Mackie, Johnson's step-uncle.

A second male victim suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds to the arm and leg during the incident. The victim was identified as the suspect's father, according to Abdullah.

The Wrens Police Department confirmed a connection between the Graniteville murder and the shooting at Family Dollar.

According to a release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, investigators are working to determine if there is a connection between the two cases and another shooting incident that occurred on U.S. 1 in Richmond County on Saturday.

This story will be updated as new information becomes available.