New details are emerging after an unlicensed street party turned deadly on May 4, leaving one man dead and two others injured.
Zyshawn Franklin, 26, of Augusta was shot at least one time and pronounced dead on the scene, Coroner Mark Bowen said. Police say Wendarius Harris, 23, is not a suspect but remains wanted for questioning in the slaying.
The party, for which Augusta records show no special interest event license was obtained, was part of a string of events labeled as “Stunt Sundays.” According to the advertising flier that circulated, the event was billed as “One big a** kick back.”
“Call for service” police reports show deputies were called to the event around 4 p.m., for noise violations and again around 6 p.m. with callers describing loud noises, people blocking access to the boat ramp, operating unsafe ATVs on the roadways and “other illegal activities,” but deputies apparently didn’t ask for proof of an event license even though a large crowd was present without the required off-duty deputies for security.
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Both times, deputies responded to the complaint calls, but no citations were issued, and Richmond County Chief of Staff Lewis Blanchard says that the May 4 situation was different, in that officers are not necessarily trained to ask for someone’s event license when the event is held on city property.
“A beat cop doesn’t necessarily know to ask for such information. They are not trained like specialized vice cops,” Blanchard explained, indicating that deputies will, in the future, be asking for such information.
The shooting occurred just after 9 p.m.
Research shows that this is not the first time such an event has been held at the riverfront marina area.
While most of the events, including a bonfire, have been held at 105 Riverview Drive, which is owned by city and was once under lease to Dayon “Tez” Walker and his business, Reserve and Ride Water Sports, other events have been held on city-owned land, such as Lumpkin Park.
There are no records on file with Planning and Zoning to show any special events licenses filed for any of the events; however, the events have been heavily promoted on social media.
After the shooting, Walker posted a video declaring that neither he nor his business had any involvement with the murder and blamed Mayor Garnett Johnson for spreading “misinformation” about him.
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“He called me, and I honestly did not know what he was talking about, but I have since learned about the licensing issues, and we are definitely going to be looking into that, especially if he does not have a valid lease to operating his business on city land,” Johnson said.
When reached by phone, Walker maintained that while he had held special events in the past at the location, he was not involved in the May 4 event and did not know who the promoter was.
Multiple fliers on the internet, though, seem to tell a different story as events labeled “Stunt Sunday” being held at the same address have Walker’s name and a “Cash app” internet address.
Walker maintains someone lifted his name and the cash app service address from earlier fliers but did not explain why someone would include his payment information for an event he is not associated with.
“That wasn’t a misprint. You see the jet skies on there, the pool, you see vendors, you see that anytime this space has a crowd. We have a business here, so we advised the little groups that come out we have food, we have signs, so they just replicated what we put out in previous fliers,” Walker said in an interview.
Even more troubling is that it does not appear that Walker has a valid lease with the city of Augusta or anyone else for that matter.
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The only lease on file with the city was between the Port Authority and Walker, that lease expired in February of 2023 and did not have an automatic renewal in its language.
There is currently an active lawsuit between the city and the Port Authority as to who owns the land, including the boathouse, boat ramp and buildings where Walker’s business is operated. Funding for the Port Authority was slashed by, then-City Administrator Odie Donald for the 2021 budget.
Savannah Riverkeeper Tonya Bonitatibus says she has witnessed first hand how the crowds have changed over time, with people zooming up and down the Riverfront Drive on ATVs without wearing helmets and even car drag racing.
“The area has really spiraled in recent years. My staff and I don’t feel safe coming and going from work. The boat ramp is supposed to be for everyone, but that is not the way it is now. Any time a death like this occurs, it is a tragedy, but I hope this will be the starting point to get serious about what is going down here. The river should be safe for everyone,” Bonitatibus said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter, Editorial Page Editor and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
