Alleged triggerman identified in 8-year-old’s slaying

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - An arrest warrant names the man accused of pulling the trigger in the drive-by shooting that killed an 8-year-old girl.

News 12 obtained a copy of the arrest warrant for Antoine Redfield, 21, of Augusta, who’s being held in Richmond County jail in connection with the slaying of Arbrie Anthony, who was just buried Wednesday.

The arrest warrant accuses him of being the man who pulled the trigger around 7:20 p.m. Jan. 8, shooting the girl in the head as she looked at horses someone had brought to her neighborhood at the Dogwood Terrace Apartments, 2029 Second Ave.

Although authorities had named him as a suspect in the shooting, it wasn’t until the arrest warrant that we knew he was the man accused of shooting the gun.

Arbrie’s shooting raised an outcry in the community, and finding her killer became the top priority of Sheriff Richard Roundtree.

Authorities publicized images of the vehicle involved in the shooting of the girl while she was outside looking at horses.

READ THE ARREST WARRANT:

Then on the Monday after the shooting, Redfield was picked up by Grovetown police officers assisted the U.S. Marshals Service and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in a traffic stop at 5035 Wrightsboro Road.

A search of the vehicle revealed multiple firearms and several dozen financial transaction cards belonging to multiple individuals, none of whom were passengers in the vehicle, police said. A large amount of money was also found as well as narcotics and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Held in the Columbia County jail were:

• Redfield, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Devonte Juanye McNeil, 25, financial transaction card theft.
• Henri Ramone Beach, 20, financial transaction card theft.Redfield is in custody at the Columbia County Detention Center, and a hold has been placed on him for Richmond County, authorities said Friday.

Then on Friday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced Redfield had been identified as a suspect in the slaying of the Arbrie case and a hold had been placed on him in Columbia County.

They issued an arrest warrant, and he was transferred to Richmond County earlier this week.

Deputies said additional arrests were forthcoming.

Redfield has a lengthy history of charges, including felony murder, a charge that’s being dropped in connection with an incident at a nightclub more than two years ago.

The dismissal of that charge was announced Wednesday, with District Attorney Jared Williams saying that for a number of reasons, he didn’t believe he could secure a conviction for Redfield beyond a reasonable doubt.

The incident happened in December 2019 at the Private I Club on Thomas Lane, where Jabrie Dominguez, 23, and Charles Lawson III, 28, were fatally shot.

“This was a chaotic gunfight at a nightclub between four gang members, two of whom died,” Williams said Wednesday in a statement.

The lead investigator testified he could not determine who shot first and neither witness testimony nor physical and ballistic evidence could prove who shot whom, Williams said. Video of the incident did not show who shot first, either.

MORE COVERAGE:

• ‘Enough is enough’: Outraged residents speak out on girl’s death
• Community hopes 8-year-old’s legacy can bring change
• ‘She did not deserve to go that way’: Slain girl’s dad speaks out
• Deadly drive-by was a targeted attack, sheriff says

Additionally, no firearms were recovered from the scene.

All of these factors mean the prosecutors couldn’t prove the shooting wasn’t in self-defense or defense of others.

“It became clear that despite our best efforts, the State could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Redfield shot for any reason other than to save his own life or his friend’s life,” Williams said. “The probable cause standard required for arrest warrants is much lower than the standard the State is held to at trial. While no prosecutor wishes to let violent gang members back on the street, no ethical prosecutor can try a man for murder without the evidence to prove it.”

In announcing the dismissal of charges, Williams said: “This was not a judgment call. This was not a choice. This was a requirement by law.”

READ DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S STATEMENT:

Arbrie’s shooting raised an outcry in the community, and finding her killer became the top priority of Sheriff Richard Roundtree.

Authorities publicized images of the vehicle involved in the shooting of the girl while she was outside looking at horses.

Then on the Monday after the shooting, Redfield was picked up by Grovetown police officers assisted the U.S. Marshals Service and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in a traffic stop at 5035 Wrightsboro Road.

A search of the vehicle revealed multiple firearms and several dozen financial transaction cards belonging to multiple individuals, none of whom were passengers in the vehicle, police said. A large amount of money was also found as well as narcotics and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Held in the Columbia County jail were:

• Redfield, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Devonte Juanye McNeil, 25, financial transaction card theft.
• Henri Ramone Beach, 20, financial transaction card theft.Redfield is in custody at the Columbia County Detention Center, and a hold has been placed on him for Richmond County, authorities said Friday.

Then on Friday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced Redfield had been identified as a suspect in the slaying of the Arbrie case and a hold had been placed on him in Columbia County.

Deputies said additional arrests were forthcoming.

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