On a Saturday evening in Augusta, Georgia, a 17-year-old African American male named Ronald Lee Haugabook Jr. was walking to his brother's home in the Number One Mobile Home Park on Deans Bridge Road. It was November 5, 2022, and a cookout was taking place nearby. Tragically, Haugabook would not complete his short journey. He was an unintended victim, an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a gunfight that erupted between two other men. He was struck in the head by a stray bullet and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:34 p.m.
The two men involved in the shootout were identified as 33-year-old Moses McGahee and 42-year-old Frederick D. Grace. According to authorities, the two began shooting at each other during the gathering, and after Haugabook was struck, Grace continued to fire his weapon, with bullets hitting several homes in the vicinity. The investigation into the senseless killing of the teenager led to the arrest of both McGahee and Grace, who were subsequently charged with murder and weapon possession.
The legal process brought a measure of justice for the death of Ronald Lee Haugabook Jr. In February 2026, Frederick D. Grace was found guilty of felony murder. For his role in the fatal shooting, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His co-defendant, Moses McGahee, entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and is currently awaiting his sentencing.
