Augusta, GA
Shootings at store draw a call for action from Augusta leader
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Commission member wants to deal with a convenience store that seems to be a magnet for gunfire and murders.
Catherine Smith McKnight wants to consider beefing up security or closing down the Smart Grocery at 3221 Wrightsboro Road due to the number of shootings happening around there.
It’s a matter she brought up at Tuesday’s meeting of the commission.
The store has been the site of at least nine shootings in recent years, at least two of them fatal, including one on Dec. 11 claimed the life of Jeremiah Griffin, 32, of the 300 block of Fox Trace.
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McKnight’s matter is being moved to the next committee meeting of the commission so the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the store owner can speak.
Through McKnight’s communication with her district, she told News 12 it could be an issue of staffing deputies around the area, and that the owner has reached out to the sheriff’s agency for an added officer that he would pay for.
Another store in the Glendale neighborhood near the Olive Road bridge will also be discussed due to the number of shootings that also happen around here.
Smart Grocery has had a high profile in the news for all the wrong reasons.
It doesn’t help that it’s near some apartment complexes that have been trouble spots for crime, including the one where Griffin lived.
In fact, one of the complexes – formerly known as Fox Den – had such a problem with drugs and other crime that the owner set up a mobile security tower with bright lights, cameras and a siren.
At least some of the violence from the apartments has spilled over to Smart Grocery in recent years, leading Smith McKnight to wonder at what point it becomes a public safety problem.
Smart Grocery and its immediate surroundings have been the site of several gun incidents in recent years. Among those incidents:
- In July, one person was sent to a hospital after another shooting at the store.
- In January 2023, a man was shot with his own gun in the 3200 block of Wrightsboro Road after an unknown person grabbed his pistol from his pocket and shot him with it as he tried to break up a fight.
- In September 2022, Zayquantez Jones, 17, was killed in a shooting at the store.
- In December 2021, two motorists fired gunshots at each other near the store before driving off in separate directions. One person was arrested.
- On Nov. 23, 2021, a man pointed a gun at a woman in the parking lot of the store as part of an apparent road-rage incident.
- In April 2021, a man was found in the parking lot of the store, injured after being shot at least twice.
- In March 2020, a shooting there wounded a bystander after a verbal altercation in the parking lot. Marcia Laquette Wimbley, 28, of Augusta, was taken into custody
- In November 2018, a victim was found in the parking lot of the store with at least two gunshot wounds in their mid-section.
- In May 2017, a man suffered wounds to a hand and thigh in a shooting at the store. The injuries were not life-threatening.
Last year, commissioners vowed to bring more funding to fight crime in the area.
Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A second suspect has been arrested in connection to a shooting at the Augusta Mall in April.
Kaysean Quashar Nealy, 21, was arrested on Wednesday, according to jail bookings.
Arrest warrants state on April 28, around 1:30 p.m., Nealy assaulted the victim with a deadly weapon by firing at least one bullet from a gun into the victim’s back and right hand.
We previously reported that authorities were still looking for Samoney Tanksley, 26, in relation to the incident. We have reached out to learn if Tanksley is still being sought.
Days after the shooting, deputies announced the arrest of Tybrea Elester Nicole Nelson, 24, of Martinez, on two counts of aggravated assault for her role in the shooting.
She’s not accused of being the shooter but of being present during the shooting and driving the getaway vehicle.
Arrest warrants also accuse Nealy of assaulting another victim by firing at least one bullet from the gun towards the area of the victim.
The victim did not have any visible injuries, according to the warrants.
Nealy is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime.
Records show Nealy is being held in the Richmond County Detention Center.
On the possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime charge, bond was set at $5,700, according to jail bookings. For the two counts of aggravated assault, bond was not set.
“It was surreal. The whole thing’s surreal,” said Oscar Maldonado, who was at the mall when the drama erupted. “It’s kind of like when you see that happen in a movie – it kind of felt like what you see in a movie.”
This incident comes amid an outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 150 lives across the CSRA in two years. It’s 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, and many of the victims as well as the suspects have been young men.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Former President Bill Clinton took the Augusta stage campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday.
Augusta Commissioner Jordan Johnson took the stage first urging everyone to get out and vote. Not long after, Clinton took the stage and had this to say on behalf of the democratic party.
While Clinton’s speech was mostly what you would expect from a rally – he did have a message for both sides of the aisle, “There are things we need to do, but we can’t get there if we spend all of our time fighting and bad-mouthing each other.”
The former president also said this was his second to last event on the campaign trail.
Former President Donald Trump his running mate Senator JD Vance were in Macon on Sunday.
And the day before, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Atlanta.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The man died Friday at Wellstar.
71-year-old Johnny Humphrey was involved in a moped and vehicle accident, according to the Coroner.
The Coroner’s Office says the accident happened October 1 on Mike Padgett Hwy and Phinizy Rd.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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