AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta community gathered for a candlelight vigil Saturday on Laney Walker Boulevard to honor the life of Nathan Lewis Jr., who was killed on July 30.

Attendees remembered Lewis Jr. not for his circumstances, but for his character, work ethic, and the relationships he built with those around him.

‘He never lost respect’

Vigil attendee Earnestine McKie said Lewis Jr. lived near her mother’s home and greeted her family with consistent warmth.

“Whenever he saw me or any of my family members, ‘How you doing, Miss Ernestine,’ he never lost respect,” McKie said.

Family reflects on shared memories

Teresa Lewis, niece of Nathan Lewis Jr., described a close bond built through daily life together.

“We used to live together. We used to walk places together. I used to take him to his classes on 56th. We did a lot. We used to cook together. And people only knew it to understand,” Teresa Lewis said.

‘Boogie had a home’

Those at the vigil also pushed back on how Lewis Jr. might be remembered publicly. Teresa Lewis said his housing situation was a choice, not a definition.

“I don’t want nobody to remember him as homeless because that was something that he chose. Boogie had a home,” she said.

Teresa Lewis also noted that Lewis Jr.’s mental health may have contributed to his preference for solitude.

“Sometimes when people are going through mental issues, they tend to want to be alone or just be around people in the street,” Lewis said.

Remembered for work ethic and spirit

Attendees also recalled Lewis Jr.’s work ethic and his enjoyment of time spent with others.

“He worked for everything, all his money. He didn’t go out here robbing and stealing. Boogie, he worked for his money,” one attendee said.

“Just doing things together, doing hobbies together, going places, just so we stayed together. That don’t mean we was in the house all the time. We used to ride out. We used to ride the city,” another said.

Nathan Lewis Jr.’s memorial service will be held at C.A. Reid Sr. Memorial Funeral Home on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 2:30 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 19-year-old Augusta man was arrested and faces murder charges after a man was found shot to death along Boy Scout Road early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Demarion Drinks, 19, was arrested shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday at his residence, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Drinks has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Deputies, with the assistance of the sheriff’s office SWAT and criminal investigation division, arrested Drinks without incident.

The arrest comes hours after deputies responded to the 200 block of Boy Scout Road around 6:54 a.m. Saturday, where they discovered a body along the roadside.

Richmond County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 44-year-old Tyrone Whitaker of Augusta.

Whitaker had been shot at least once, according to investigators. The coroner’s office pronounced him dead at the scene at approximately 7:52 a.m.

An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.

No further information is available at this time.

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A funeral procession was held Friday afternoon for a former firefighter who died last week after a traffic accident.

Frank Lanier, 58, of Appling, died after the crash that happened while he was riding a 2006 Big Dog motorcycle, according to deputies.

Lanier was a longtime firefighter with the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department and previously served as a battalion chief at Station 1, officials say.

On Friday afternoon, the procession took place along Riverwatch Parkway toward downtown Augusta.

Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies were stationed at major intersections along Riverwatch.

The fatal accident happened last Monday at Columbia Road and North Old Belair Road.

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded around 4:40 p.m. to the crash involving a motorcycle and a sedan. Investigators said the motorcycle traveled west on Columbia Road toward the intersection as a Honda Accord sat on North Old Belair Road facing south while the driver waited to turn left onto Columbia Road to head east.

Deputies said the driver of the Accord failed to see the motorcycle and turned left, and the front of the car hit the right side of the motorcycle. The impact knocked the motorcycle onto its left side and ejected the rider, investigators said.

Bystanders stopped and began CPR until Columbia County Fire Rescue arrived and took over. Gold Cross EMS then transported the rider to Doctors Hospital in Augusta, where he was pronounced dead, deputies said.