Family and friends of Jewel Harden, a beloved member of the Crown Kingdom Cultural Center in North Augusta, South Carolina, are reeling in grief after she was shot dead during a robbery on her way home from church on Sunday.
Harden, 76, who is from Hephzibah, Georgia, was fatally shot at a Sprint gas station on Edgefield Road along with another victim identified as 33-year-old Thomas B. Lilly Jr. of Williston, South Carolina. A WRDW report says officers were called to the scene at 2:05 p.m. to investigate a report of an armed robbery with gunshots.
“Officers were dispatched to a shooting and upon arrival one of our officers encountered the armed suspect in the parking lot where the suspect was shot by a North Augusta Public Safety Officer,” the North Augusta Department of Public Safety reported at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. “Further investigation revealed two victims that had been shot prior to Public Safety’s arrival.”
The investigation was later handed over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which stated in a press release that the shooting suspect was armed with an AR-style pistol. Authorities have identified him as 21-year-old J’Shawn Deontae Dukes, 21. Dukes was injured by police during the incident, but his current condition remains unclear.
Reacting to the shooting on Monday, Crown Kingdom Cultural Center described Harden as a faithful worshiper who was full of light.
“Jewel was not only precious to this ministry, she was a pillar in the house of God. Her presence brought light, her worship stirred joy, and her service reflected the humility of Christ,” Pastor Finace Bush Jr. and his wife, Denise, said in a statement. “The world may see tragedy, but heaven sees transition. The same Jesus who walked her through every trial in life, walked her safely through the veil of eternity.”
Harden’s family revealed in a GoFundMe campaign that she was on her way from church when she was shot.
“Jewel was returning home from church and stopping to get gas when she was senselessly shot. She passed away as she tried to make her way into the gas station for help,” wrote the campaign’s organizer, Shane Settle. “It’s devastating to even comprehend that something like this could happen to such a kind and gentle soul.”
Church members also shared memories of Harden during a Bible study in her honor on Wednesday.
“Her spirit would always sit on that third row in the middle aisle. Whatever’s going on in the church, Ms. Jewel sat on that third seat,” Rhonda Bush Johnson, member services manager, recalled in an interview with WRDW. “She just loved people. She loved God. She loved church. When she walk up to you, you couldn’t resist her because she always had that big smile.”
Pastor Bush shared the last message Harden shared with him before her death and said it inspired him.
“She said, ‘Bishop, I’m free because I listen, I hear and I pay attention and I do what you say, and the word really does work,'” Bush said. “‘See this as a moment of transition because God has me and I want y’all to know that I’m secure in Him.'”
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