Nicklaus Jamaul Wilson, a 32-year-old Black man from Augusta, was killed in the early-morning hours of March 22, 2021, after gunfire erupted outside the Waffle House on Gordon Highway. Reports at the time put the shooting just before 2 a.m.; Wilson was found wounded in the parking lot, taken to Augusta University Medical Center, and pronounced dead around 2:30 a.m.

Investigators identified Andrew Deon Gaines as a suspect and sought him soon after the shooting. Testimony later described by local coverage said Gaines had arrived with two friends and was sitting in a backseat when Wilson approached a vehicle window as if greeting him. Authorities alleged Gaines said he did not know Wilson, that Wilson made a motion suggesting he was revealing a gun, and that Gaines then pulled a gun and fired several times. Six 9mm shell casings were reportedly found at the scene; investigators also alleged a gun and a 2018 Kia Sportage were taken that night.

Gaines was arrested and charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and theft; later reporting said the prosecution included malice murder, felony murder, theft by taking, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Did anyone who was at the Waffle House that night notice something about the interaction between the two men that could clarify what happened?