AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) – Thomas Michael Airington, the man who got into a shootout with police on Georgia Ave. in North Augusta back in December 2021, has pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
Airington was set to stand trial this week, but instead pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder, three counts of hit and run, one count of failure to stop for a blue light, and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Honorable Judge Walton McLeod sentenced Airington to 25 years in a South Carolina state correctional facility. He must serve at least 85% of that sentence in prison. After his term is served, he will then be remanded to federal custody, where he still needs to stand trial for federal charges for violation of his supervised release from federal drug trafficking charges
On Dec. 9, 2021, North Augusta Public Safety responded to an officer-involved shooting on Georgia Ave. The call was originally for “suspicious activity” but quickly devolved into a shootout between Airington and police, during which he fired 49 shots. During the shootout, North Augusta Public Safety Officer Lt. Aaron Fittery was shot in the leg. A good Samaritan helped him escape the scene and get him to a local hospital, where he recovered from his injuries .