‘Jesus, help me’: 911 calls shed light on gunfire near Laney game
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Recordings of 911 calls are shedding light on gunfire last Friday outside the Laney High School football stadium that halted a game nearly a week ago.
It was a chaotic scene as fans ducked for cover and scrambled for safety, although no victim was found after the gunfire at a nearby apartment complex.
“It’s Laney Walker in the Augusta Court neighborhood, McCollough townhome - over here by Laney High School stadium,” a caller said. “About 12 gunshots just got fired about maybe 45 seconds ago.”
Gun confiscated at Cross Creek High School in Augusta
A gun was found Thursday at Cross Creek High School, according to the Richmond County School System.
The call continued:
It’s people running all in here. I don’t know what’s going on ma’am I’m so sorry.
It’s like these young teens-looking kids running all in here. We don’t have any of that.
Lord, Jesus, help me. I’m sorry. I was just about to leave to go get something to eat for my baby.
I’m sorry, my neighbors all out here. Oh, my God.
It’s the McCollough Townhome community next door to Laney stadium. It’s some young-looking teens just running around all in here then that’s when the gunshots started.
OK, I don’t know if it’s just, it’s just they were running in here and I was like, “Why are these people running” and so that’s when about 12 gunshots were fired.
Did you see anybody with guns? I didn’t. I just seen the people running, and that’s when I saw the gunshots. And of course, I just ran back in my home.
I was literally just about to walk out the door. I’m sorry. I’m shaking.
OK, OK, let me calm down. All right, like I was about to leave and I’m so scared to leave. Lord, Jesus.
I don’t know if this is possible, but if you can have an officer come in here to make sure that nobody’s hiding over here.
The gunfire unfolded as Laney and Westside faced off during the first game of the football season. It led to the evacuation of the stadium and the end of the game, which will not be rescheduled.
Deputies reported the initial shots came from behind the stadium and that they found bullet casings at Florence Street and Blounts Avenue, A few minutes later additional shots were fired at Augusta Court, according to deputies.
No victims were found, but Bullet holes were visible along a nearby apartment complex.
Deputies say it appears all the gunshots were fired outside the stadium.
Guns at Augusta high school football games
Last season and the season before, gun incidents interfered with several Augusta games – even some at the same stadium.
In September 2022, two people were arrested in connection to “shots fired” at Lucy C. Laney Football Stadium.
How many students were caught with weapons last week?
There have been multiple cases of students being caught with weapons this week in Richmond County schools.
Gunfire sent the crowd into a panic in September 2022 at the Laney-Thomson game. Two people – Roosevelt Demmons, 17, of Thomson, and Santana Mance, 17, of Dearing – were arrested in connection with the mayhem.
A 17-year-old, Jahkhi Amir Wimbley, was caught with a gun at the Hephzibah-Laney game in August 2022. He wasn’t a student at either school, authorities said.
A shooting in September 2022 injured two people at a postgame tailgating party at Josey High School.
A cancellation of the Butler-Cross Creek game.
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