The teen shot by deputies early Saturday after allegedly engaging in a gunfight in downtown Augusta has been moved from the hospital to the jail.
Amazing Lee Blessed Brigham, 19, was booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center on Tuesday night on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of weapon possession. A mugshot of the Hephzibah teen shows him sitting in a wheelchair.
GBI officials investigating the gunfire that disrupted the final hours of First Friday say the teen was partly responsible for the chaotic gunfight. Some witnesses say they heard 100 bullets, which panicked bar patrons and led two off-duty deputies to fire their weapons at the armed suspect around 1:13 a.m. Saturday.
Meanwhile, the GBI has also arrested 23-year-old Seven Whitfield for aggravated assault and weapon possession. He identified himself on Facebook as Amazing’s brother. It’s not clear what role he played in the downtown incident.
Brigham is a 2023 graduate of Hephzibah High School and has never been arrested as an adult, according to online court records. His sister claims that her brother was not involved in the gunfight and does not own a gun. In Facebook messages to this reporter, “Coo Kie” claims that her brother was an innocent bystander and was caught up in the incident.
“Richmond County shot him and is trying to cover their a**es!” she said in a Facebook message. “It’s plenty of witnesses saying the same thing.”
She said the hospital wouldn’t let her see him after the shooting. She says he was shot six times – three times in his right leg, two in his left leg, and once in the shoulder.
“Amazing doesn’t have a gun, didn’t have one, doesn’t own one,” Coo Kie said. “When I talked to [Sheriff Richard] Roundtree, he had 4 other suspects and only charges Amazing. … Only trying to book him because HIS OFFICERS SHOT HIM.”
Facebook friend Nishaa Allure backed up her claims, saying, “I was down there. He was most definitely an innocent bystander.”
Asked about her claims, the GBI agent in charge said Brigham can make his defense in court.
According to authorities, three Richmond County deputies were working off-duty jobs during First Friday at the Sole’ restaurant at 1033 Broad St. when multiple shots were fired in the area.
The area of Broad Street in Augusta experienced heavy pedestrian traffic when deputies responded to multiple gunshots, encountering a suspect outside a restaurant armed with an AR pistol. Two deputies fired at the suspect, hitting him, while two bystanders sustained minor injuries.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported that the gunfire involved the suspect and unidentified individuals, spanning two to three blocks and resulting in damage to vehicles and businesses. Sheriff Roundtree requested GBI involvement due to deputy involvement, with the officers placed on paid leave. The sheriff praised the deputies as heroes but withheld their names.
