A Bamberg man is dead after apparently taking his own life following an armed robbery Saturday afternoon in Aiken.

Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said a Sunday autopsy in Newberry showed that Richard Lee Simmons died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the Augusta Chronicle reported.

Although the newspaper identified Simmons as a 24-year-old Columbia resident, an obituary notice from Bamberg-based Dash's Funeral Home received Sunday by The Times and Democrat shows Simmons' address as 125 Sanders St., Bamberg.

Aiken County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Lt. David Turno told The Aiken Standard that four men armed with pistols and shotguns dressed in all black entered the restaurant about 12:45 p.m. and ordered more than 10 customers and employees into the cooler. The manager was then ordered by the suspects to open the safe and cash registers. The gunmen took the money and attempted to escape before law enforcement arrived.

"Officers quickly arrived on the scene and were able to apprehend one suspect as he attempted to flee the store," Turno told the Aiken newspaper. "We were on the scene before they left the restaurant."

Simmons evaded police for nearly three hours before he was located in a field near the car wash, hiding behind bushes. According to Turno, he was spotted several hours after the crime scene had been cleared by an officer patrolling the area.

The suspect took his own life as officers approached him.

A third suspect, who was still at large Sunday, carjacked a victim who was cleaning his car at a nearby car wash located on the 118 Bypass, the Aiken newspaper reported. The victim was ordered to drive the armed suspect to a location off Hampton Avenue in Aiken, where the suspect released the victim and fled on foot.

Another suspect fled from police on foot into Crosland Park, where he was arrested after he broke into a vacant house. The two suspects who have been arrested are Sean Mark Rodriguez, 25, and Robert Mills Jr., 27, both of Columbia, according to The Standard report.

Turno said both men will be charged with armed robbery and numerous counts of kidnapping with other charges expected to follow. Investigators recovered a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer from the scene, which was reported stolen during a carjacking in Columbia on Oct. 2.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating along with the Aiken sheriff.

Anyone with information on the suspect still at large is asked to contact the Aiken Department of Public Safety at 803-642-7620. Individuals should also call CrimeStoppers of the Midlands at 888-CRIME-SC. Callers may remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of between $50 and $1,000.

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