Augusta, GA
‘Took a piece of me’: Family remembers 15-year-old killed in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One of Augusta’s latest victims of gun violence was 15-year-old Devayn Grissam.
Authorities say he was shot around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday on Helsinki Drive. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.
On Friday, Devayn’s family continues to search for a way forward as information surrounding potential suspects is limited.
“He took a piece of me. Yes, definitely. He took a piece of me, and I don’t know if I heal from it, you know,” said Telisha Grissam, Devayn’s aunt.
We sat down with Devayn’s family to see how they’re honoring his life.
Moving forward without Devayn is going to be rough for his family.
They are already thinking about how different the holiday season will be without him.
But Devayn’s family wanted to speak to us to share his story and their message to the community to put the guns down.
It’s a life cut too soon.
“We’re never going to get that. They’ll be able to see their kids grow, but we’ll never be able to see him grow and progress and what could have been so he will forever be 15 years old,” said Telisha.
Devayn loved his family, and his family loved him.
“If I knew, this would be the last time with me seeing him, I would have hugged him a little tighter. I would have talked to him a little longer. You never know when it’s the last time that you’re going to lose someone you never know. And to lose a child to gun violence is hard,” said Telisha.
The day Devayn died, his aunt says, “I remember almost falling to the floor at Walmart in North Augusta when I found out that he was killed.”
His family wants you to hear their heart-breaking plea.
“The graveyards are filling up with our children. They’re not having a chance at life, not even experience life to see what life is about. At 15 years old, you don’t know what life is about,” said Telisha.
Devayn’s family doesn’t want another family to feel their unbearable pain.
“Right now, what they have done is put this family up on a lot of stress, because now we got to worry about how we are going to bury this 15-year-old kid because this is so unexpected,” said Telisha.
Together, his family chooses to remember Devayn for the life he lived.
“He loved to play basketball. He loved to do flips like gymnastics. He was flipping all the time. He was a practical joker. Every time you see him, he always jokes about having fun,” said his aunt.
In their eyes, he is 15 forever.
“I speak on behalf of his father, his mother, his grandmother. I speak on behalf of my family. This is some pain that we’re going to endure for the rest of our lives,” said Telisha.
So far, no arrests have been made in Devayn’s death.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The second annual Juneteenth trail ride took place on Old Waynesboro Road in Augusta on Saturday.
The event featured trail rides with horses and ATVs, a mechanical bull contest and music.
People shopped at vendors, and there was entertainment for kids, including a petting zoo, inflatables and games.
“It’s really a privilege just to be able to have the opportunity to share my space, to share my area, and to share for an event with so much value, to give back to my community and a place to celebrate,” said Davon Wallace, chief of operations at Crimson Hills.
Wallace said they will be hosting more events, with a haunted trail coming in October.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has made multiple arrests in a deadly shooting that left one teenager dead and another injured early Saturday morning.
According to deputies, the incident happened June 20, at approximately 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of Warren Road, where authorities responded to reports of shots fired involving two gunshot victims.
When deputies arrived, they located two 18-year-old men from Augusta.
Officials identified the victims as Eric Markquis Bartley Miller and Joseph Lamar Thomas.
Investigators say Miller sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas was also found with at least one gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of Saturday afternoon, three teenage suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
18-year-old Dmihjay Collins, 17-year-old Tayshaun Thomas, and 17-year-old Joseph Thomas have all been arrested and charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Machine Guns. They are all currently being held at the Webster Detention Center.
A fourth teenager, 17-year-old Reante Byrd was also arrested, but investigators have not linked him to the murder case. Byrd has been charged with Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under the Age of 18. He is also being held in the Webster Detention Center.
No further details in the investigation have been released.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students showcased drones they built during a two-week summer camp at Augusta Regional Airport on Friday.
12 junior and high school students attended the camp, where they learned to fly and build drones designed to help others.
Anderson Puryear, a student, said the camp focused on delivering small medical supplies.
“It was focused on delivering small medical supplies like an EPI pen or glucose packet for like diabetics and for people with allergies in need in the real world that could obviously help save lives, and if people are like in a place in a boat or like in the desert or in the forest where they can’t easily access those supplies it can save their lives,” Puryear said.
The airport partnered with Georgia Tech, state troopers and the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department for the Air Edu Summer Camp.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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