Alvin AJ Rivers Jr., 32, was shot in the head at an Exxon station on Gordon Highway in Augusta in February 2025 after family say he was helping a stranger. He was taken to Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center and died there, with family at his bedside. Loved ones remembered him as a giving, dependable person and called him SONshine and the dance king.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office named 32-year-old Jontes Deran as the primary suspect. Deputies arrested Deran within a week and charged him with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. The shooting has left Rivers family and friends grieving a life described as kind and helpful.

If anyone was at the Exxon on Gordon Highway that day or has information about what led up to the shooting, please come forward.