Augusta officials say downtown is safe, but state is sending some help

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Officials remind Augustans that downtown is safe, though the state is sending some help following the shooting downtown on Saturday.

When a gunman opened fire on a crowd in downtown, the outcome wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

Using what the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office described as an “assault rifle,” at least one shooter fired into a crowd, striking some of the people.

Two people were injured in addition to one gunman who was shot by deputies.

But no one was killed.

That’s despite what witnesses telling us they heard something like 100 rapid-fire gunshots, sparking chaos in local businesses.

It could have easily been a mass shooting, but it wasn’t, Sheriff Richard Roundtree said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

“I cannot stress the magnitude of the intervention of our deputies. There is no doubt that without swift and heroic efforts to neutralize a heavily armed gunman, the potential for massive loss of life was extremely great,” he said.

Going forward, Roundtree will have some help.

Mayor Garnett Johnson asked for and received a commitment from Gov. Brian Kemp for Georgia State Patrol troopers and Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers to bolster deputies’ patrols of downtown.

Roundtree said there was already an increased presence of officers in the area. The state help will add to that.

ON SATURDAY NIGHT:

• News 12 drove along Broad Street around 10 p.m. Saturday and saw some law enforcement presence, although it’s unclear whether that was stepped up from the night before. There was a white unmarked Chevy Impala with blue lights on parked in front of Dirty Boots. There was also a deputy parked in front of the Firestone Auto Shop. And there was another Richmond County Sheriff’s Office car parked at Broad and 12th streets. We saw one Georgia State Patrol car; the trooper had a woman in handcuffs. Some popular night spots had people inside, but they didn’t seem packed.

Johnson said he’s heard from business owners that they want a safer downtown, and he pledged to make that happen.

“I am extremely disappointed in the level of violence and the level of lawlessness that occurs in our downtown quarter late in the evening,” he said.

Yet he said downtown is “overwhelmingly” safe.

Augusta Commission member Jordan Johnson echoed the mayor’s thoughts.

“We’re not going to yield our downtown to people who want to do bad things,” he said Saturday.

However, he insisted that downtown is safe.

Some business owners don’t agree. At Roundtree’s news conference, 20 to 25 of them showed up and peppered him with complaints and questions, especially about young people loitering. One told the sheriff that he doesn’t get a response from deputies when he calls 911.

Roundtree said he was there to discuss Saturday’s incident and that any ongoing problems can be discussed in another setting.

With Roundtree just days away from a Democratic runoff election that could determine his fate for the next four years, there was a statement from his opponent.

Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley said:

“My thoughts are with those affected by this senseless act of violence, and I sincerely hope for the safety and well-being of everyone involved. The recent events underscore the urgent need for change in our approach to public safety.”

Team coverage by News 12 staff including Audrey Dickherber, Hallie Turner, Jada Walker, Sydney Hood, Will Rioux, Nick Proto, Zayna Haliburton, Ashley Campbell, Estelle Parsley, Aaron Wilson, Mikel Hannah-Harding, Gary Pikula, Steve Byerly and Lois White.

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