Riverboat co-captain attacked in Riverfront Brawl responds to a charge against him

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The co-captain of the Harriott II, Damien Pickett, has spoken to local journalists for the first time since the infamous Riverfront Brawl in August.

Montgomery police arrested and charged five people involved in the fight. Pickett was not one of them. But one of those people, Zachary Shipman, recently filed a claim that he is a victim of assault at the hands of Pickett.

Four days before he’s set to appear in court, Pickett stood feet from the site of the incident to address the allegations he now faces, stating that he was just doing his job when he got attacked.

“It’s just shocking to me, for me to get charged for something that I do on the regular,” he said.

Shipman alleges that he was not trying to fight Pickett, but was defending himself and suffered a bruised cheekbone after Pickett punched him in the face. Shipman, who was charged with assault and pleaded not guilty, is scheduled for trial in December.

“I don’t know what’s going on. No one else contacted me. All I got was a summons,” added Pickett.

The mayor and police chief released a statement saying Pickett is only listed as a victim in the city’s investigation into the brawl.

“If I did something wrong, I know- I’d admit to. Its own video, you did something wrong,” said Pickett. “Pay the cost.”

Pickett is set to appear in court Tuesday.

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