AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After nine years of improvements, Augusta University President Dr. Brooks Keel is just days away from retirement.

He’s seen improvements like an increase in enrollment every year since 2015 and seeing thousands of students graduate.

The board of regents is set to vote Friday to decide if the sole finalist, Dr. Russell Keen, will take over the role.

Before saying goodbye to the university, Dr. Keel sat down for one final interview.

His last day is June 28.

He says the achievements over the last nine years are ones he didn’t do alone.

While it’s definitely a bittersweet moment, he says he’s truly in the “sweet spot.”

“I always wanted to retire on my own terms,” said Keel.

After spending 40 years in research and higher education administration, Keel says it’s time he “cut the cord.”

“People have asked me, are you gonna consult or whatever? Why would I want to quit the best job in the world just to do another job? So we’re giving it all up and hitting the (Florida) Keys and start starting fresh,” said Keel.

With his eyes set on the retirement state, he can’t help but reflect on the last nine years as the leader of the Jaguar pack.

“We broke the 10,000 students glass ceiling — 10,546. We had like a seven or eight percent increase in enrollment this past fall versus the fall before that, and a 27% increase in enrollment since 2015. One of the most exciting things is that greater than 50% of our freshman class comes from outside of the CSRA,” said Keel.

And he’s counting down the days until he passes the torch.

“So right now we have 18 days, seven hours, seven minutes and four seconds,” said Keel.

After June 28, the only place you’ll be able to catch him is the water.

“We want to be able to spend as much time as we can, either in the water or on top of the water. Tammy is an avid scuba diver,” said Keel.

He’s sailing into the next chapter, without a cell phone controlling his schedule.

“I have taken up saltwater fly fishing several years ago. So we have a house where we can get in the boat go either up to the Gulf or out to the Atlantic and, be able to fish, dive, and catch your own dinner, those sorts of things,” said Keel.

News 12 got to meet Dr. Russell Keen on Wednesday as we walked out of Keel’s office. While they do not want to jump to conclusions just yet, they are both very confident and excited about the future of AU.

If voted in, Keel says he can’t think of anyone more qualified for the job than Keen.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Two suspects – apparently brothers – have been arrested in connection with the downtown Augusta shooting last weekend.

Amazing Lee Blessed Brigham, 19, was arrested Tuesday after being released from the hospital, where he’d been since shortly after the shooting early Saturday at 10th and Broad streets.

Also arrested Tuesday was Seven D. Whitfield, 23. Their sister told News 12 on Saturday that Whitfield had been taken to the hospital immediately after the shooting but released and was not considered a suspect at that time. Something apparently changed between Saturday and Tuesday.

Brigham was being held Wednesday in Richmond County jail on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm or knife during a crime.

Whitfield was being held on one count of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm or knife during a crime.

On Wednesday, bond for each was listed as $7,900 on the weapons charge, with no bond listed in the aggravated assault counts.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had already confirmed Monday that Brigham was a suspect.

The gunfire broke out around 1:15 a.m. Saturday, setting off chaos among frightened downtown visitors, spawning complaints from business owners concerned about safety and spurring the mayor to ask the state for law enforcement assistance.

Authorities have said there was a gunfight between at least one person and multiple others.

Three Richmond County deputies were working off-duty jobs at the restaurant Sole and heard the gunfire and rushed outside, where they found a man holding an assault pistol.

Two of the three deputies shot at the suspect, hitting him at least once.

The GBI says two other bystanders were also hit by gunfire. The suspect, along with the two bystanders, were taken to a local hospital and treated for their injuries.

The GBI said it is unknown what started the fight that led to the gunfight.

Multiple weapons were recovered at the crime scene, as well as other evidence of the crime, including seven vehicles that were hit by gunfire.

Several businesses sustained damage from several gunshots.

People told News 12 they heard what sounded like 100 gunshots. Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree – who’s facing a runoff election in less than a week – said he couldn’t comment on the number of rounds, but said it was a “massive amount.”

The GBI is conducting an independent investigation.

Once complete, the case file will be given to the Augusta District Attorney’s Office for review.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The full Augusta Commission will make the decision on a firm to conduct an audit of the Parks and Recreation Department.

It’s been bouncing back and forth from the committee level to the commission level for a few weeks.

Commissioners met at the committee level Tuesday and sent the decision to the full commission.

The question drew a heated discussion during last week’s commission meeting.

There are lingering questions about how and when UHY Advisors Mid-Atlantic was chosen by the city procurement department.

Before UHY was picked, Marcum LLP had been awarded the bid.

That was before city officials say they realized UHY had met the deadline to submit a bid.

City Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse says the UHY bid was delivered by UPS on May 7 at 8:02 a.m.

Because the procurement department hadn’t opened, UPS took the package back to its warehouse and delivered it the next day on May 8.

Officials say the evaluation committee was not aware of the UHY bid when it discussed which company to pick.

The committee met again May 10, and ultimately picked UHY as the winner of the bid.

UHY’s bid was around half the cost of Marcum LLP’s cost.

Some commissioners are suspicious, and when they asked to see the UHY timestamps, they were refused, with the city staff citing state law and the fact that it’s still an open bid.

When Maurice McDowell resigned as parks and recreation director, Augusta leaders said they wanted to check every corner of a department riddled with internal and external investigations before the next director stepped in.

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