COVINGTON, Ga. — Two Walmart employees are dead, and another is in critical condition after a targeted shooting rampage overnight in Newton County. 

Authorities say 24-year-old Dwayne Eduh opened fire inside the Walmart Supercenter on Salem Road, then drove to a nearby home where he shot and killed a 19-year-old woman. Eduh later turned the gun on himself in South Carolina as deputies attempted to arrest him.

Terrified overnight workers at the store called 911 in whispers, hiding as shots rang out inside the store. Newly released 911 audio captures the panic as employees reported an active shooter inside the store.

“He said he had left his bag,” a manager told dispatchers, referring to Eduh. “I let him back in because he said he had his bag. He said he had his bag in there.” He didn’t know Eduh had gone to retrieve a weapon and come back.

The manager explained to the dispatcher that he knew who the shooter was and that he was an employee at the store. When asked if he still had the weapon on him, the manager said, ” I believe so. I believe so. It’s possible, yes.”

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots. “There’s a shooter in the building,” another employee said urgently during the call.

Deputies say Eduh, who was employed at the store, first shot 21-year-old Khalaf Barksdale before continuing down the aisles and shooting 29-year-old Ryan Bradley. Barksdale died at the scene, and Bradley remains in critical condition in a local hospital.

Following the store shooting, investigators say Eduh drove a mile and a half to the home of 19-year-old Akeela Clarke. Clarke’s mother and sister called 911 in anguish after hearing gunshots.

“He shot my daughter!” her mother screamed in the call. Clarke was found dead inside her mother’s bedroom.

“They did nothing to apprehend him… he came down the street, kicked in the door, and basically unalived her right in front of my sister,” Clarke’s aunt later told 11Alive.

During a press conference with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Clarke’s mother expressed frustration over emergency response times. “I called, and my daughter called. She was on the phone for 29 minutes,” she said.

Newton County Sheriff Sgt. Jack Redlinger said he would look into the response time and confirm with 911 the timing of the call and response. 

The sheriff says Eduh fled the state following the shootings. South Carolina deputies located him hours later. Despite negotiation efforts and his agreement to surrender, Eduh shot himself inside his car when deputies approached. He remains hospitalized in Augusta in critical condition.

Investigators are still working to determine Eduh’s motive. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office and local authorities continue to gather evidence and speak with witnesses.