AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A judge has set bail at $25,000 for one of the suspects in a summer shooting on a busy Augusta sidewalk that sent panic downtown.

Seven D. Whitfield was granted a total bond of $25,000 — plus a number of conditions — for all charges he faces in connection with the shooting, in which he was initially taken to a hospital as a suspected victim.

The gunfire erupted around 1:15 a.m. on June 8. sparking chaos among frightened downtown visitors, generating complaints from business owners concerned about safety and urging the mayor to ask the state for law enforcement assistance.

Authorities said there was a fight between at least one person and several other people.

Whitfield is charged with three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of criminal possession of a firearm and 12 counts of first-degree criminal damage to property, according to District Attorney Jared Williams.

There are other co-defendants, including two who have not been arrested.

One of them is Whitfield’s brother, Amazing Lee Blessed Brigham, was arrested shortly after the shooting, as was Whitfield.

Williams listed two names of victims in the case and also added “anyone who was downtown on the night of June 8.”

Williams opposed bond for Whitfield, calling him “one of the easily identifiable shooters from the Broad Street downtown brawl that we’re fortunate didn’t turn into a mass shooting.”

Williams provided the judge with crime scene photos and surveillance video.

Williams told the judge that the defense wanted people to believe that Whitfield went downtown with his friends, but they took several high-powered weapons with them and it is confirmed that Whitfield supplied one of the other gunmen with a rifle.

Williams said it was unclear who started the shooting, but two distinct groups of youths were involved.

Williams says Whitfield’s group is seen in the video exchanging words with the others, and then Whitfield is seen closing in behind the brick column in front of a bench in a firing position.

Williams says this is one of the photos he gave the judge.

Williams says Whitfield and the other group fired multiple times, including at bystanders, revelers and off-duty officers, who then had to return fire to protect the public.

Williams called the shooting part of the “senseless violence that has plagued our community for too long.”

He said Whitfield posed a significant danger to people and property in the community, predicting “retribution for this meeting”.

Williams noted Whitfield’s criminal history, which included an arrest in North Augusta on suspicion of illegally carrying a weapon.

In seeking bail, the defense cited family members who were present at the hearing to support Whitfield.

These included three rows of family members, including his mother and father.

When Whitfield appeared on video for the hearing, he smiled and waved to the family.

The defense said Whitfield had been employed by a local power company since 2020 and the lawyer gave letters from the employer to the judge, who said they were “positive in highlighting his work ethic within the company”.

The defense asked the judge to grant Whitfield a reasonable bond to return to work and said his criminal history was “very limited,” adding that there was no violent criminal record.

The defense says when the warrant was issued for his arrest, he turned himself in and the defense said he was not a flight risk.

The defense said, based on the GBI’s preliminary investigation, “it does not appear that Whitfield was the aggressor in this case.”

He will have to wear a monitor and observe the hours of 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM. He will be able to go to work, and if the station conflicts with his work schedule, he will have to prove the schedule to his probation officer.

He must not have direct, indirect or third-party contact with potential witnesses, other defendants or the victim. He must have no association or affiliation.

He will live with his sister, Eternity Brigham.

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