Otis Keith Pearce Jr., 33, was shot and killed on the front porch of a home on the 3500 block of Rushing Road in Augusta. The shooting occurred late on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, around 11:21 p.m.; Pearce was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after midnight on August 20, 2026. Deputies arrested the homeowner, 65-year-old David Mosley, at the scene.

Investigators say Pearce and Mosley were acquaintances who got into a verbal altercation on the porch that escalated. Mosley allegedly produced a handgun and shot Pearce at least once. Mosley was charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; records note a prior conviction for shooting his ex-wife in 2008, for which he served five years of a nine-year sentence.

Friends and family described Pearce as kind-hearted and funny, and said he had helped Mosley over the years and would not likely have turned to physical violence during an argument. Does anyone who knew Otis or was in that neighborhood that night have information to share?