Augusta is spared from becoming the site of another mass shooting

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree said Saturday morning’s shooting in downtown Augusta could have easily become a mass shooting.

Luckily, it wasn’t, something he credits to quick action from some nearby deputies.

Gunfire erupted around 1:15 a.m. at 10th and Broad streets when two gunmen fired at each other on a crowded sidewalk, Roundtree said at a Saturday afternoon news conference.

At one point, at least one of the gunmen opened fire on the crowd, Roundtree said.

Two people were injured, plus the gunman, who was shot by nearby deputies.

It could have easily been a mass shooting, Roundtree said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

He’s thankful it wasn’t.

Mass shootings are on the rise in the U.S., and Augusta hasn’t been spared from the trend.

A mass shooting in May 2023 killed two people and injured others at an Augusta motorcycle club on East Boundary. Investigators found 150 shell casings at that scene after what authorities say was a dispute between motorcycle groups.

Local authorities have trained for mass shooting incidents. Just Wednesday, they held a symposium on how to deal with emergencies and mass casualty incidents like what Saturday’s shooting could have become.

CNN reported that last year, the country saw 655 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, and 2021 saw an even higher number: 689.

Between 2019 and 2020, the overall gun homicide rate rose about 35%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CNN reported that the archive shows mass shootings especially increased after May 2020, following the trend of an overall rise in gun violence during the pandemic.

MASS SHOOTINGS SO FAR THIS YEAR IN THE U.S.:

In the CSRA, that problem has lingered, with more than 150 lives lost in an outbreak of deadly violence in a little over two years.

The outbreak has affected communities large and small on both sides of the Savannah River, but as the largest city in the region, Augusta has been hit especially hard.

Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs.

Roundtree called the May 2023 mass shooting incident “a lesson learned.”

“To bring this type of violence to our city, to add us to a national mass shooting list, is unconscionable. This is something we will not tolerate here in Richmond County,” Roundtree said after that shooting.

Team coverage by News 12 staff members including Audrey Dickherber, Hallie Turner, Jada Walker, Sydney Hood, Will Rioux, Nick Proto, Zayna Haliburton, Ashley Campbell, Estelle Parsley, Aaron Wilson, Mikel Hannah-Harding, Gary Pikula, Steve Byerly and Lois White.

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