Augusta, GA
Is downtown Augusta safe? Residents give their thoughts after Saturday shooting
Video: Broad Street shooting press conference
Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree, Mayor Garnett Johnson, and Commissioner Jordan Johnson held a press conference to discuss the shooting on Broad Street.
Augusta’s downtown First Friday festivities were followed by a violent shooting early Saturday that left three injured, including a suspect after deputies on site fired back. In the hours that followed, the Augusta Chronicle spoke with residents about their thoughts on downtown Augusta’s safety.
Several like Kenzie Castro said incidents like the one Saturday are why she rarely visits downtown.
“My friends love to go downtown and always ask me and my hubby if we would like to join and we always reply ‘no,’” she wrote via Messenger. “Always gives me a bad vibe and now I see why I am glad I’ve always trusted my gut.”
Downtown shooting: Augusta sheriff, mayor try to reassure downtown residents after Saturday shootout
Chelsea Maultsby said the scene really changes as the sun sets.
“I don’t trust downtown,” Maultsby said. “In the daytime it’s safe, (but) not at night. These young kids be doing stuff. I don’t even like stepping out here. It used to be fun.”
Lashanda Murray expressed similar sentiments.
“I think, during the day, it’s typically like this, nice and peaceful,” she said. “During the night … frankly, I think there could be more police presence just to ensure that the same atmosphere during the day you have at night.”
Following a press conference about the shooting on Saturday, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson expressed interest in addressing this with the Augusta Commission.
“Our downtown is a safe area,” the mayor said. “However, I am extremely disappointed in the level of violence and the level of lawlessness that occurs in our downtown corridor late in the evening.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who is leading the investigation in this case since it involves local deputies shooting a suspect, released a statement on Sunday noting they arrested Amazing Lee Blessed Brigham, 19, of Hephzibah. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a gun during a crime.
Three deputies were working off-duty jobs at Solé restaurant, located at 1033 Broad St., when they heard multiple gunshots, according to the GBI. The deputies responded, found the suspect outside the restaurant with an assault pistol. They fired at him, hitting the suspect at least once.
While many downtown business owners declined to comment, multiple showed up at the press conference and expressed their concern over insufficient police presence. Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree said he was more than happy to talk to them at a later date while also arguing that downtown is one of the safest spots in Richmond County and they have a significant downtown presence.
However, one owner that has publicly spoken is Sean Wight who owns the Frog Hollow Group, which includes restaurants like Farmhaus, Tacocat, and Pho-Ramen’L. He gave the following comment in a news release with Richmond County sheriff’s candidate Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley:
“I feel like downtown Augusta as a destination is a safe place with a lower crime rate than most city’s our size, however when there are known events that draw large crowds such as First Friday or other late-night events,” he nored, “the lack of police presence and proactive crowd control is distressing, especially since this has been a recurring issue for several years.”
Augusta Commissioner Jordan Johnson also supported the safety of downtown while also saying they need to be sensitive to those who live and work downtown every day. Johnson said they will be going to the drawing board to figure out how to best meet their needs.
The investigation into Saturday’s shooting is still underway and has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI communications center can be reached at (404) 244-2600. Confidential tips for the sheriff’s office can be posted online at richmondcountysheriffsoffice.com/crime-tip.cfm.
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A murder suspect is dead after a police pursuit on I-20 in Columbia County that shut down traffic for hours.
Traffic was blocked on I-20 eastbound near Jimmie Dyess Parkway by mile marker 194 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office tells us the incident involved a Gwinnett County murder suspect.
Deputies say they conducted a PIT maneuver on the suspect, who then committed suicide, according to the sheriff’s office.
The male suspect was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:21 p.m., and an autopsy has been scheduled, according to the Columbia County Coroner’s office.
The car ended up in a ditch, and officials worked through the evening to get the car out.
Georgia State Patrol also responded to the scene and is assisting with the investigation.
This isn’t the first time this year that Columbia County deputies have pursued a potentially dangerous suspect. Back in April, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brandon Sikes was killed in the line of duty during a shooting on I-20 near Belair Road.
An encounter with an RV driver claimed the life of Deputy Sikes and seriously injured Deputy Gavin White.
There are no other reported injuries in Friday’s incident.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – An Augusta man has been sentenced after a jury found him guilty on multiple charges involving domestic violence, the District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
According to District Attorney Jared Williams, 45-year-old Jameel Thomson of Augusta “stood trial this week for the March 16, 2021 beating and August 8, 2022 kidnapping and shooting of his romantic partner.”
The report states that the victim’s orbital eye bone was broken in the 2021 incident and a year later, Thompson shot the victim in the shoulder, which shattered her clavicle in 2022.
Thompson was found guilty on all charges, including Kidnapping with Bodily Injury, Home Invasion, Hijacking a Motor Vehicle, Aggravated Battery-Family Violence and Aggravated Assault-Family Violence. He was sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole on Oct. 30.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Local food banks report doubling and tripling numbers as new faces seek help for the first time.
The Augusta Dream Center served 554 families in one day, according to Executive Director Kellie Newman.
“We see our numbers doubling and tripling every day,” said Hallie Kohan, assistant director at Augusta Dream Center.
Newman said the situation feels like a crisis that has caught organizations off guard.
“This feels like a crisis. This is a crisis that’s happening and it’s kind of just snuck up on us,” Newman said. “I don’t think we realized how the government shutdown, how it was gonna have this domino effect.”
Family Promise of Augusta launched an emergency food drive to address growing need.
“We have government workers who aren’t receiving paychecks, therefore, you know, they’re facing food insecurities and they’re just as important as it is for our unhoused community right now,” said Christina Williams, an intern at Family Promise of Augusta who came up with the food drive idea.
Executive Director Jennifer Ferguson said donations can be made at Family Promise on Wheeler Road or at Dave and Busters. The organization plans to partner with other companies for additional donation sites.
The Augusta Dream Center will be open on Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for those needing groceries. They will also serve Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and again on Sunday.
“We are trying to break barriers down for you and help feed your family. We’re not trying to add any barriers in your life,” Kohan said.
Newman said they expect the need to continue to grow and are working with Golden Harvest food bank and other agencies to find solutions.
“Some people are just really at the mercy of unfortunate circumstances that they have no control over,” Newman said.
Family Promise says you can go online to donate money, or you can go to the location on Wheeler Road to donate as well.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Grand Egyptian Museum to display tomb paintings bringing ancient Egypt to life • FRANCE 24 English
Drag queen accused of sex with 13-year-old boy he believed was adult: report
Miami Beach commissioner to donate salary to family of fallen police officer
Ramaswamy: 2025 GOP wins in New Jersey, Virginia, would ‘set the table for…more decisive victories’ in 2026
Video: What You Need to Know About New York City’s Ballot Measures
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Grand Egyptian Museum to display tomb paintings bringing ancient Egypt to life • FRANCE 24 English
The Security Brief: Putin provokes Europe with drones and fighter jets | BBC News
‘We were struggling’: Actress from ‘The Morning Show’ talks about when she faced food insecurity
Trump and Xi skip Taiwan talk despite years of war preparations
Al-Qaeda linked JNIM says one killed in its first Nigeria attack
-
New York1 week agoVideo: How Mamdani Has Evolved in the Mayoral Race
-
News1 week agoVideo: Inside Our Reporter’s Collection of Guantánamo Portraits
-
Milwaukee, WI4 days agoLongtime anchor Shannon Sims is leaving Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV (Channel 4)
-
News4 days agoWith food stamps set to dry up Nov. 1, SNAP recipients say they fear what’s next
-
Politics1 week agoAOC, Sanders rake in millions as far-left cements grip on Democrat Party
-
Alabama6 days agoHow did former Alabama basketball star Mark Sears do in NBA debut with Milwaukee Bucks?
-
Politics1 week agoGrassley releases memo showing DOJ ‘unleashed unchecked government power’ on Trump associates
-
News1 week agoMap: Minor Earthquake Strikes Southern California