Shank fight breaks out at Augusta jail, 7 inmates injured, 9 arrested

Almost a dozen inmates recently were arrested after multiple stabbings at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in Augusta.

The fight, which resulted in nine arrests, left four inmates with stab wounds and three inmates with cuts on Sunday.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office did not release any information about the incident until Tuesday.

What we know about the fight

At approximately 6:30 a.m. Sunday, inmates exited their cells of the jail on Phinizy Road for breakfast, according to an incident report. Multiple inmates "began to square up with each other" and a fight broke out.

Deputies noted inmate DeQuinn Hamlin started the fight when he pulled a shank from his jumpsuit and began stabbing inmate Madison Lewis multiple times, according to the report.

The following inmates were arrested after the fight:

• Michael Devonte Mitchell, 29, of Augusta is incarcerated at the detention center and charged with the 2019 murder of Zachary Dunnum on Roosevelt Drive and High Street. He is also charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm or knife during a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Deputies noted Mitchell approached Stephen Anderson and Lewis and stabbed and kicked them while keeping others from aiding them.

• Roger Rashan Fielding, 19, of Augusta is incarcerated at the detention center for possession of a pistol or revolver under the age of 18 (misdemeanor) and obstruction of a law enforcement officer (misdemeanor). Fielding is charged in connection to the 2020 murder of 25-year-old Kafele Bush at Azalea Apartments on Fayetteville Drive. Deputies noted Fielding initially fled out of camera view while pulling a shank from his jumpsuit. Deputies said Fielding stabbed Dezmin Freeman multiple times.

• Tony Davwon Landers, 19, of Augusta is incarcerated at the detention center for unlawful street gang activity, battery, riot violence in confinement, two counts of possession of deadly weapons by inmate and aggravated assault. Deputies noted Landers stabbed Jeremiah Kelly and Freeman.

• DeQuinn Ja Nile Hamlin, 36, of Bryon is incarcerated at the detention center for murder, criminal damage to property in the first degree, kidnapping, possession of a firearm or knife during a crime, inmate possessing cellphone without consent of warden. He is charged with killing one man and kidnapping another in Augusta in 2021, weeks after being charged with killing another man in Macon-Bibb County. Deputies noted Hamlin began the conflict by pulling out a shank and stabbing Lewis, according to the report.

• Anquavius D. Hill, 26, of Warrenton is incarcerated at the detention center for armed robbery, aggravated assault, obstruction of a law enforcement officer (felony), criminal damage to property in the first degree, possession of a firearm or knife during a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Deputies noted Hill held down Kelly while other inmates stabbed him.

• Reginald Carldaro Harris Jr., 22, of Augusta is incarcerated at the detention center for aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree, terroristic threats and acts, and possession of a firearm or knife during a crime. Deputies noted Harris stood on the steps between the first and second floor armed with a shank. He was not seen actively fighting, according to the report.

• Farrel Lavell Crawford III, 19, of Hephzibah is incarcerated at the detention for armed robbery, criminal attempt (felony), possession of a knife or firearm during a crime. Deputies noted Crawford was armed with a long sock filled with a heavy object, a makeshift flail. Crawford used the flail to beat Anderson in the head and body, according to the report.

• Dezmin Jizhia Freeman, 25, of Augusta is incarcerated at the detention center in relation to a 2020 armed robbery and is also charged with inmate possession of drugs or weapons. Deputies noted Freeman ran off camera and reentered with a shank. Freeman then got into a stabbing match with Landers, according to the report.

• Jeremiah Emmanuel Kelly, 25, of Augusta is incarcerated at the detention center in relation to the 2012 murder of Anthony Dewayne King. King was shot to death during an attempted carjacking in the 700 block of Crawford Avenue in Augusta. Kelly, 15 at the time of the shooting, was indicted on murder charges. Deputies noted Kelly initially fled and was knocked to the ground. Landers, Anquavius Hill, and other unidentified inmates held him down and stabbed him, according to the report. Kelly was later found with a shank by Deputy Jailer Corby McIntyre.

Other inmates were involved in the altercation, but could not be identified in the surveillance video, according to the incident report.

In a search of the portion of the jail where the brawl broke out, deputies found 10 shanks, according to the report. An additional shank was located in jail medical after multiple inmates had been through the treatment room.

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Victims, list of inmates injured

Kelly, Anderson, Freeman, Keeli Ware, Lewis, Fielding and Landers were wounded in the incident.

Deputies noted victims Ware, 17, of Augusta, and Anderson, 36, homeless, attempted to help during the incident.

Anderson initially reared back to punch multiple people that were attempting to help Hamlin stab Lewis, according to the incident report. Anderson was knocked to the ground by Crawford and another unidentified inmate, according to the report. Anderson was then assaulted by Crawford, Michael Mitchell, an unidentified inmate and Hamlin. Multiple other inmates approached, hit, and stabbed Anderson while he was on the ground.

The following inmates were wounded in the altercation, according to deputies.

• Jeremiah Kelly – 15 stab wounds to the back, and one deep stab wound to the left bicep which required him to be transported to Piedmont Hospital for treatment.

• Stephen Anderson – Stab wounds to left forehead, seven stab wounds to the back, one abrasion to the right elbow, multiple bruises and split skin along the top of his head. Stephen Anderson lost consciousness in jail medical and was transported to Augusta University Medical Center for treatment.

• Dezmin Freeman – Stab wound on the left side of his face next to his left eye, a stab wound to the top of his left shoulder, and a stab wound to the back of his left shoulder. Freeman was treated in jail medical.

• Keeli Ware – Cut behind the left arm and cut on his left hand middle finger. Ware was treated in jail medical.

• Madison Lewis – Cut on and behind the left ear and three stab wounds to the front right abdomen. Lewis was treated in jail medical.

• Roger Fielding – Small cut on the right leg. Fielding was treated in jail medical.

• Tony Landers – Two small nicks on the chest. Landers was treated in jail medical.

All of the injured inmates are now stable and have returned to the jail, according to deputies.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Half a dozen inmates injured during shank fight at Augusta jail