Downtown Augusta shooting stirs concern among business owners

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After a gunbattle in downtown Augusta sent bullets into a crowd early Saturday, some business owners are concerned.

Two people were injured and the gunman was shot by deputies.

And while officials say it could have been far worse, could it hurt business downtown?

On Saturday night, less than 24 hours after the shooting, downtown was busy and parking spaces were hard to find.

People were still walking around and most of them seemed unbothered by the shooting.

Still, people told us it wasn’t quite as busy as a typical Saturday night.

Popular night spots had people inside, but they were by no means crowded.

Everyone was being super-cautious, said Airrie Henschell, a server told us at Mellow Mushroom.

Her pockets were taking a hit, too.

“Bills are not getting paid,” she said.

And while some businesses were seeing a negative effect, other businesses are still unsure.

“I really can’t tell,” said Aris Reed, co-owner of Lenox on Tenth.

“I can’t say that we’ve seen too much of an influx or an effect on our business,” she said Saturday.

“I know it’s bad for the reputation of downtown Augusta,” she said.

The shooting is not a reflection of Augusta, though, she said.

“It’s very welcoming,” she said, calling it a “really great community.”

Still, the downtown community is left shattered like the windows the bullets took out early Saturday.

“The one thing that we’re kind of disheartened about is the reputation of downtown Augusta just gets smeared when occurrences like this happen,” she said.

PHOTO GALLERY:

She believes that regardless of what happened Saturday morning, Augusta is still great.

“You know, don’t let a few bad apples ruin the bunch,” she said.

“This is a great city. This is a great location.”

Some business owners expressed concerns directly to Sheriff Richard Roundtree on Saturday.

When Roundtree held a news conference to discuss the shooting, 20 to 25 of them showed up and peppered him with complaints and questions, especially about young people loitering. One told the sheriff that he doesn’t get a response from deputies when he calls 911.

The sheriff said he’d prefer to discuss that in a different setting, since his news conference was held specifically to discuss the shooting.

Mayor Garnett Johnson said he’s heard from business owners that they want a safer downtown, and he pledged to make that happen. He said he asked Gov. Brian Kemp for assistance, and Kemp pledged to send Georgia State Patrol troopers and Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers to bolster downtown patrols.

On Saturday night, there did seem to be a law enforcement presence on Broad Street.

News 12 drove along the thoroughfare between 10 and 11 p.m. Saturday, and we saw:

• A white unmarked Chevy Impala with blue lights on parked in front of Dirty Boots.
• A deputy parked in front of the Firestone Auto Shop.
• A Richmond County Sheriff’s Office car parked at Broad and 12th streets.
• Some patrol cars in front of Smoke Shop.
• A Georgia State Patrol car; the trooper had a woman in handcuffs.

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, Mikel Hannah-Harding, Gary Pikula, Steve Byerly and Lois White.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.