Augusta, GA

‘I could have died that night’: Downtown shooting spawns chaos

Published

1 year ago

June 8, 2024

‘I could have died that night’: Downtown shooting spawns chaos

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – When gunfire broke out in downtown Augusta early Saturday, it was a scene of “chaos,” witnesses said.

Around 1:15 a.m., there was a gunfight on the sidewalk at 10th and Broad streets, and one of the gunmen fired into a crowd on the sidewalk, authorities said. The gunman was shot by deputies and two other people were wounded.

None of the injuries were life-threatening.

But it was a scary experience for people in nearby businesses.

A witness described the chaos that erupted when the gunfire started.

He was at a nearby bar and said everyone started running when they heard what sounded like automatic gunfire.

“Once the club starts rushing to one side, you leave,” Phil Ramey said. “It’s almost like a big wave you feel it happen real quick.”

He was at Garden City Social when it happened.

“I went over to Garden City, in Garden City, vibing, enjoying the night. And next thing you know, you hear bullet shots coming through, and everyone sprints from the back to the front. Drinks are spilled. It’s a little bit chaotic,” he said.

“I little bit of screaming,” he said. “Everybody’s rushing to the front. It’s a small doorway, so I don’t think anybody got trampled, but people were pushing and shoving and elbows are being thrown – you know, kind of chaos. Chaos.”

He said when they got outside, the scene was more calm, and much of the attention seemed to be focused across the street in front of Solè restaurant.

Deputies were keeping people from walking in front of the business, he said.

“The cops were moving pretty quickly, trying to get everybody out,” he said. “But people like to linger. They like to kind of see what’s going on, so that’s kind of the vibe I got.”

He returned to the area on Saturday morning and was surprised to see the scene was still active with law enforcement.

“I showed up today and there’s cops out here still and yellow tape, so it must have went down pretty seriously,” he said Saturday morning.

A pair of friends told News 12 they were in Solè when it happened.

One said it was nothing but chaos. They said they never heard shots, just screaming.

People hid under tables and shoved one another trying to get out.

When they finally got outside, they saw several men in black ski masks, they said.

They didn’t know if they were the shooter or affiliated with the shooter, but their only thought was to run.

“It was just everyone rushing, like the manager was getting us out of there. And, yeah, there was this man. He was just telling us we need to get out. And, like, literally pushing us out just to get to safety,” Joshua Harris said. “I just know there was, like, a lot of screaming and such, police swarming everywhere, like I heard it out in the distance. It was just cars everywhere.”

Amy Sparent described seeing someone limping and holding an apparently injured area of his body as he walked.

“That’s when we just kind of like ran around the side,” she said. “We kind of did a circle of the building because we really didn’t know what to do.”

Like others, Harris and Sparent described hearing what sounded like hundreds of shots.

On the sidewalk in front of Solè on Saturday morning, there were shoes that had come off people’s feet as well as jewelry that had been dropped in the rush to get away.

Shoes were still on the sidewalk in front of Sole, where they’d come off people’s feet in the rush to get away from the gunfire early June 8.(WRDW/WAGT)

“Nobody knows where it came from,” witness Alonzo Butler said.

He said he saw people getting carried away after being shot.

“And I’m pretty sure they had nothing to do with it,” he said.

He had mixed emotions.

“What I felt was anger, and I was disappointed,” he said.

Like others, he described many gunshots.

“The rate of fire was so rapid,” he said.

Hours after the shooting, Butler said he was happy to be alive.

“I could have died that night,” he said.

Although many people came to the location Saturday morning to see what was going on, some were reluctant to talk with News 12 about what they knew. Some were hugging each other.

However, a young woman said her two brothers were shot. She said 18-year-old Amazing Brigham and 23-year-old Seven Whitfield were taken to a hospital. Whitfield has been released from the hospital and is not a suspect. Brigham, she says, has not been released.

Brigham’s mother told News 12 she hadn’t been able to see her son but authorities told her he was stable.

PHOTO GALLERY:

It wasn’t a deadly incident, since Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen says he wasn’t involved.

But it easily could have been, considering the number of rounds fired – and it happened just three days after Richmond County public safety agencies gathered for a symposium on preparing for active-shooter incidents and other potential mass casualties.

The incident is among the latest in an outbreak of deadly violence that’s claimed more than 150 lives across the CSRA 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.

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Augusta, GA

North Augusta Public Safety prepares the school year

Published

2 days ago

July 18, 2025

Press Room

North Augusta Public Safety prepares the school year | News | wfxg.com

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For any issues, contact enews@wfxg.com or call 706-650-5400.

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Augusta, GA

12 on Your Side Investigates: Unsafe medical waste dumped in Augusta

Published

3 days ago

July 18, 2025

Press Room

12 on Your Side Investigates: Unsafe medical waste dumped in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We have a safety alert about some dangerous medical waste.

When a News 12 viewer found a pile of needles and even some vials of blood, he was worried kids in a nearby neighborhood might find it, too.

When he reached out to the News 12 on Your Side Investigators, we went to work.

We met him at the site just steps from the Pine College campus and in the heart of the Laney-Walker Neighborhood.

Nestled in the bushes, we saw a nest of needles and other used medical materials.

Old and hazardous medical waste was discovered in an Augusta lot.(Contributed)

Vials of what looked like blood, syringes and IV tubing were tangled in a mound, posing potential dangers.

“Anthony” did not want us to show you his face, but he wanted to show you what he stumbles across while taking a shortcut to the store.

“I didn’t want no kid to walk up on it and get poked by it,” Anthony said.

When we expanded our search just beyond that pile, we found more than just needles and vials of blood. In a separate location, we discovered other medical debris, including X-rays and tattered parts of charts revealing personal patient information.

One document referenced treatment for back pain and included a patient’s name.

Used needles and biological materials like blood are considered biohazardous waste, capable of spreading infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Georgia law mandates strict procedures for safely disposing of such waste and even includes protections for animals.

We contacted the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to report the discovery. Within minutes, two deputies arrived and began documenting and collecting the hazardous materials, wearing protective gloves and activating their body cameras for transparency.

MORE FROM 12 ON YOUR SIDE INVESTIGATES:

“There’s a lot here,” one deputy remarked. “We’ll collect as much as we can, and our narcotics office has a way of disposing of stuff like this.”

Deputies also accompanied us to the second nearby site, where additional needles and medical waste, including a nasal Narcan spray and what appeared to be a broken thermometer, were found in plain view.

Old medical waste in an Augusta lot posed a serious hazard.(Contributed)

Most of the shreds of medical documents we recovered appeared to be decades old, with some dated as far back as the late 1990s. The only identifier was a reference to a hospital in Barnwell that shut its doors in 2016.

Despite the medical records and vials of blood, deputies didn’t seem to think it was a traditional illegal dumping site. Instead, it may have been someone rifling through stolen medical supplies, possibly looking for drugs, and abandoning what they didn’t need.

Thanks to Anthony’s report and a rapid response from law enforcement, all the waste was carefully removed and properly disposed of.

“It’s just crazy how much there is,” one deputy said on body cam while collecting the final items.

Anthony said his conscience wouldn’t let him walk past the dangerous debris without taking action.

“I’m not gonna walk by it,” he said. “It’s just not right.”

What to do if you find medical waste

If you ever come across medical waste like syringes, vials, or medical records in a public area, don’t touch it. Contact local law enforcement immediately. Those agencies have the tools and training to handle and dispose of it safely.

As for the personal information we uncovered, News 12 is in the process of trying to reach those affected. The records appear to be old, and there were only a few, but like the rest of the materials, they’ve now been securely disposed of.

This story serves as a powerful reminder: One person speaking up can help protect an entire community.

If you see something dangerous, say something.

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Augusta, GA

2 troubled Augusta apartment buildings are back in the spotlight

Published

4 days ago

July 16, 2025

Press Room

2 troubled Augusta apartment buildings are back in the spotlight

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The company that owns Bon Air Apartments and Richmond Summit Apartments has an important meeting coming up Tuesday.

The Augusta Commission could revoke Redwood Housing’s business license at the public hearing.

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, neighbors at Richmond Summit were dealing with another issue – no power. It came back on around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

One neighbor said they were notified a couple of days ago that the power would be out from 9 p.m. Tuesday until noon Wednesday for electrical work.

However, when that timeline passed and there weren’t any updates, neighbors started asking questions about why it took so long without any other notifications.

“People on walkers and wheelchairs trying to get outside, maybe try to get somewhere where there is AC, but it’s a bad situation for everybody involved,” said Earl Cason, resident at Richmond Summit. “I’m pouring some tap water over my head, and I’ve been using a cardboard paper to fan with all day.”

Cason has lived at Richmond Summit for five years, and he said these types of issues aren’t new, saying back in March, neighbors were also left without power.

“The claim was made that Georgia Power had shut the power off, but in calling them, they told me they had nothing to do with it. They don’t schedule outages,” said Cason.

Cason said he would like to move, but it’s hard to afford it.

“I haven’t had the option to just move out. Being under, as everyone is here under Section 8 housing, nobody can afford to just pack up and make a move on their own,” said Cason.

We asked an employee at Richmond Summit if they could provide any information or provide a statement, and they said no to both.