AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A new timeline emerged Friday for a quadruple homicide that has left Burke County shaken.

The killings by Adolphus Christopher Morris unfolded about a week ago, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office said Friday morning at a news conference.

Deputies had already identified the victims found Sunday night as:

• Walter Bunch, 59
• Rebecca Oglesby, 51
• Betty Fort, 53
• Jessica Carroll, 31

A separate man was injured in a shooting by Morris, but is expected to recover.

What we learned Friday is that the male victim was shot after the other four were already dead.

What started it all was an altercation between Morris and Fort. Authorities said Morris struck Fort, and Bunch and Oglesby intervened last Friday to protect her. Morris threatened the victims but left without further incident.

That same day, Morris redeemed a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun from a pawn shop in Jenkins County.

Late Friday evening, he shot Fort and her daughter, Carroll at their home on Tom Bargeron Road, deputies said.

He then took Fort’s car to Twin Lakes Drive and killed Bunch and Oglesby, deputies said.

Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, he went to a home on Screven Street and shot the man who was not killed and is still recovering, deputies said. That victim identified Morris as the shooter.

At 2:30 a.m. Saturday, authorities found Fort’s car burned off Habersham Church Road in Jenkins County.

Authorities tried to make contact with Morris but couldn’t find him.

By 6 a.m. Saturday, arrest warrants had been issued for Morris, and those were shared with authorities in Jenkins and Screven counties.

It all came to a head late Sunday and early Monday after the bodies of the four slain people were found.

Morris was found in a vehicle with his mother, and he got involved in a shoot-out with deputies that left him dead.

Morris’ sister Patricia Nikki Morris has been arrested for “hindering apprehension of criminal,” Sheriff Brad Capitosti said.

WATCH THE NEWS CONFERENCE:

The sheriff said she contacted other relatives and asked them to shelter Morris even though she knew there were active warrants for his arrest.

“This has been truly one of the worst situations I have ever seen in my career in law enforcement,” Capitosti said Friday morning.

He addressed a “false narrative” that he said was circulating on social media implying the deputies had not done their jobs.

He defended their work and said: “I stand here prepared and willing to fall on my sword to protect them.”

He said he wanted the families involved to know “that you have our full support.”

“We all need to come together we need to take a breath and step back,” he said.

“In situations like this, nobody truly wins.”

He said Morris’ death had a “tremendous impact” on the officers involved.

“No one wants to take a life,” he said, but they were well-trained and willing to do what needed to be done.

He said the internal investigation into whether officers were justified has not concluded yet.

Deputies have an extensive past dealing with Morris. The sheriff’s office alone has around 20 incident reports on file involving him either as a suspect, victim or complainant.

The timeline at a glance

WEDNESDAY

• Adolphus Christopher Morris visits the home of Walter Bunch, 59, and Rebecca Oglesby, 51, where Betty Fort, 53, is also present.
• Morris gets into a physical altercation with Betty Fort.
• Walter Bunch and Rebecca Oglesby intervene to defend Fort and ask Morris to leave.
• Morris threatens them but leaves without further incident.
• That same day, Morris redeems a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun from a pawn shop in Jenkins County.

LATE FRIDAY

• Morris goes to Betty Fort’s residence at 1211 Tom Bargeron Road.
• He shoots and kills:
  • Betty Fort, 53.
  • Her daughter, Jessica Carroll, 31.
• Investigators believe Morris then takes Fort’s vehicle and drives to Twin Lakes Drive.
• On Twin Lakes Drive, he shoots and kills:
  • Walter Bunch, 59.
  • Rebecca Oglesby, 51.

EARLY SATURDAY

• Morris goes to 515 Screven St. and shoots:
  • Andrew Tyler Putnam, who suffers multiple gunshot wounds but survives.
• Putnam identifies Morris as the shooter.
• Investigators respond to the address and begin trying to locate Morris, including attempts at his residence, but are unsuccessful.
• Around 2:30 a.m., Betty Fort’s vehicle is found abandoned and fully burned off Habersham Church Road in Jenkins County.
• By 6 a.m., arrest warrants for Morris are obtained (for the aggravated assault on Andrew Tyler Putnam).
• Deputies make multiple attempts to locate Morris.

LATER SATURDAY

• Deputies are asked to contact Betty Fort, 53, at her residence about her burned vehicle.
• They attempt contact but get no answer.
• At this time, investigators do not yet know there is a connection among Fort, Morris and Putnam.
• Deputies say they have no legal basis to force entry into Fort’s home.

SUNDAY NIGHT

• Deputies respond to Twin Lakes Drive and find two deceased victims:
  • Walter Bunch, 59.
  • Rebecca Oglesby, 51.
• While clearing that scene, they are asked to perform a welfare check at 1211 Tom Bargeron Road (Fort’s residence).
• On arrival, deputies find the door open, enter, and find the bodies of:
  • Betty Fort, 53.
  • Jessica Carroll, 31.

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