Augusta, GA

What 911 calls and radio traffic tell us about downtown Augusta shooting

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2024

What 911 calls and radio traffic tell us about downtown Augusta shooting

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – New 911 calls and public safety radio traffic paint a chaotic scene of Saturday’s shootout in downtown Augusta that sent people running for their lives.

In the calls, you can hear the urgency in the voices calling for help after gunfire rang out in the heart of downtown.

At around 1:13 a.m., a deputy calls into dispatch shouting “gunfire” multiple times. Dispatch repeatedly calls to all units, then shouts “one down.”

DOWNTOWN SHOOTING: TEAM COVERAGE

Roughly around the same time, 911 calls started to come in.

A caller stated they were reporting gun shots around Greene Street, but wasn’t sure exactly where or how many.

As all of this is going on, crowds of people flood to the streets.

“I need everybody on 11th Street to block off. I need 10th Street blocked off. I need the intersections blocked off. The extra units, I need everybody to actually clear everybody on foot. All foot traffic has to go,” said one deputy on the scene.

From left: Amazing Brigham and Seven Whitfield(Contributed)

Deputies and dispatch start discussing how many victims they had.

One deputy asked: “How many victims do we have?”

Another deputy said: “Right now, it looks like we got one. Right here in front of the Broad Axe Throwing Club.”

Deputies continued rushing to clear the area.

LISTEN TO THE 911 CALLS:

“Everybody that is on scene, I need all the foot traffic between 11th and 10th gone,” said one deputy. “Start pushing everybody out.”

Saturday’s shooting has sparked conversations on whether downtown is safe. The Augusta mayor, Richmond County sheriff and some commissioners say yes.

It’s also raised the question about police presence in downtown Augusta. Sheriff Richard Roundtree says there is a presence, but some business owners disagree.

Mayor Garnett Johnson says he’s called Georgia Governor Brian Kemp for help from Georgia State Patrol.

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Augusta, GA

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

Published

10 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Augusta Fire Department responded to a structure fire early Saturday morning in the 3600 block of Peach Orchard Road.

Fire truck shortage forces local departments to wait years for equipment

Emergency crews blocked multiple lanes as they battled the fire, according to a Facebook post from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

News 12 has reached out to the Augusta Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire and to inquire about any reported injuries.

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Augusta, GA

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

Published

22 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Juvenile Court received a grant of more than $1 million to prevent youth from joining gangs by addressing underlying factors that lead to criminal behavior.

The grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will allow the court to expand services beyond its current programs and serve a broader population of at-risk youth.

“This allows us to build on the work we are currently doing. It also allows us to serve a different population of youth that we have not been able to serve on such an extended level, so we have additional funds that will serve even more kids and to hopefully assist the sheriff and district attorney in not having youthful offenders become adult offenders that they have to obtain and prosecute,” said Chief Judge Tianna Bias.

Addressing root causes

The funding will target factors that make youth vulnerable to gang recruitment, including poor school attendance and reading difficulties.

“Whether it’s that they have poor school attendance, not reading on grade level. One thing we’ve seen is that when you are not reading on grade level that has an impact on many other areas of your life. It’s really just an opportunity to offer wrap-around support for these kids so we can prevent them from getting into unfortunate situations that they may not end up in front of a juvenile court judge later,” Bias said.

Dr. Audrey Armistad, chief intake officer for the juvenile court, said the court’s goal is rehabilitation rather than detention.

“We put them in programs and services that help them to be able to develop mentally, socially and physically when it comes to kids involved with the juvenile court,” Armistad said.

Expanding services

The juvenile court currently serves at-risk youth through the THRIVE program. The court is also expanding services with a new computer lab set to open next month.

“It helps us to be able to provide instruction to kids getting GEDs, parents wanting GEDs, as well as we provide learning loss instruction to kids enrolled in Richmond County who may need remediation in math and reading,” Armistad said.

A gang prevention expert will meet with the juvenile court team to provide recommendations on how the grant money should be spent.

Bias said success will be measured by fewer teens in courtrooms and more in classrooms.

“We are meant to rehabilitate not to punish and we want to help these parents get kids on track so we can see a better Augusta for everyone,” Bias said.

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