‘Resources aren’t available’: Community asks for help after Harrisburg shooting

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley will use a range of tools to keep teenage violence at bay after a shooting injured two people in the Harrisburg neighborhood.

The violence broke out Sunday night on the weekend after Richmond County schools let out for the summer – a time when crime typically rises among teenagers who don’t have school to keep them busy.

The shooting broke out around 7:40 p.m. Sunday.

Callers reported gunfire in the Crawford Avenue area coming from several armed juveniles.

Arriving deputies found a 16-year-old boy who’d been shot.

While on the scene, deputies heard more gunfire, and reinforcements were sent in.

Deputies say they arrested 17-year-old Devon McClain and 14-year-old Tiantrec Freeman – who are among five male teens originally detained, including one with a laceration to his leg.

McClain was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Freeman was charged with aggravated assault.

During the incident, Harrisburg-area residents were told to avoid the area and stay in their homes, but the warning was lifted around 9:30 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

Neighbors were worried about their safety – something they say they feel too often.

“It’s all the time. It’s not even shocking anymore, and I’ve only been here since last August. It’s no surprise. It’s our neighbors,” Janet Vanderver said. “We keep in touch with each other and say, ‘Hey, just get in your house. Be careful.’ It’s happening again, so you know it’s kind of sad.”

Many neighbors say one street can be completely different from another.

“It’s drastic. Right after this house, boom, you’re in a sketchy, scary area.”

She says neighbors have made calls to law enforcement for help, but they’re still looking for answers on how to make the community safer.

“I think just because we’re poor, we still need to be heard and taken seriously. We’re poverty-level, all of us on here – the good, bad, and the ugly,” she said. “And I think we get less respect because of that.”

Neighbors are hoping a change will come to help the future generations.

“They’re getting younger and younger. I think the resources aren’t available for neighborhoods like this for kids to do anything other than get into trouble,” Vanderver said.

She’s waiting for the day she can sit on her porch without any worries.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to sit on your front porch and have a cup of coffee no matter what time of night it is,” she said.

Brantley doesn’t want increased youth violence to happen this year.

He’s enforcing a curfew and other ordinances to keep things from getting out of hand.

“It’s clear we must do more to help guide our teenagers onto a better path,” he said.

He said the curfew for people under 18 will be strictly enforced.

Violators will be sent to an intake area until they are picked up by a parent or guardian, he said.

The curfew hours are 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays until 5 a.m. the next morning. On Friday and Saturday nights, the curfew doesn’t start until midnight.

There are exceptions, including being accompanied by a parent or guardian, running an errand for a parent or guardian, and work.

Another rule says a teen social club can’t be within 500 feet of a business that sells alcohol or operates as an “adult oriented establishment.” Teen social clubs must close by 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays or 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. And they have to identify teens under 16 with a wristband.

LEARN MORE

Teen violence: Rules the sheriff will wield

1. Sec. 3-1-1. - Definitions.
2. Sec. 3-1-2. - Hours of curfew; exceptions.
3. Sec. 3-1-3. - Parent, guardian or other person having custody or control of child to permit violation prohibited.
4. Sec. 3-1-4. - Location restrictions.
5. Sec. 3-1-5. - Revocation of license or permit.
6. Sec. 3-1-6. - Hours of operation; inspection by Sheriff’s Department or Juvenile Justice Department.
7. Sec. 3-1-7. - Responsibilities of operators; exemptions; identification of minors.

Brantley said he discussed “multi-pronged strategies” to fight youth crime in a meeting with juvenile authorities, judges and community partners.

He said the approach will focus on intervention, ability and .

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Augusta University Police Department assisted during the aftermath of the shooting incident, and Brantley thanked them.

“Their today helped ensure that suspects were safely detained, evidence was recovered, and — most importantly — no lives were lost,” said Brantley.

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