Augusta, GA — The tragic event resulting in the death of student Martin Louis Gordon late on Monday night, after classes were finished for the evening, outside Helms College, has shocked and deeply saddened everyone in our organization. Providing a safe and secure environment is a top priority. We have enhanced our safety measures at the Village West Shopping Center, including the Goodwill store and Career Center, Edgar's Grille, and Edgar's Bakehouse, by providing additional security with immediate effect. We have appointed off-duty police officers and increased the hours of our security specialist. They will patrol our campus from 7:00 am to midnight, Monday through Friday, and Saturday evening until midnight. This builds on our existing safety measures: lighting, security cameras, badge-controlled building access, and emergency procedures. We are continuing to work closely with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to bring to justice the person responsible for this crime. Counseling and emotional support services continue to be available to our students, faculty, and staff. A campuswide chapel service took place on Thursday to honor and remember Martin.

James K. Stiff, Helms College President, said, “Martin was part of our community, a dedicated student working hard to develop his God-given gifts to provide a better life for his family through participating in our School of Trades to become an HVAC technician. Our thoughts and prayers are with Martin’s family.”

For media inquiries, please contact Lesley Francis at 912-429-3950 or lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com, Kristyn Beasley at 229-393-6457 or kristyn@lesleyfrancispr.com, or the team at 912-417-5377.