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Vol. 72/No. 17      April 28, 2008

 
Georgia grand jury report
on cop killings draws outrage
 
BY LISA POTASH  
DORAVILLE, Georgia—A special grand jury issued a report March 27 on 12 killings by DeKalb County police in 2006. The next morning the Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a lead article with the headline, “Dekalb police exonerated in 11 of 12 killings.” Below was a photograph of African American relatives of one of the cops’ victims, outraged by the grand jury’s decision.

The grand jury reported that in one case it studied, the former director of the DeKalb medical examiner’s office, Dewey Brown, was seen walking alone down a trail in the area where cops shot 21-year-old Lorenzo Matthews. Later a knife was found, raising suspicion that it was planted by Brown to help the police. Matthews’ death was the one killing ruled unjustified by the grand jury.

The grand jury also reported that some of Brown’s subordinates testified he said in a staff meeting that he ordered the body of Shakir Harris moved “because I wanted to destroy trace evidence to help the officer.” Other subordinates denied he made the statement.

Fatal shootings by county and city cops in the Atlanta metropolitan area over the last several years have sparked many protests. In November 2006, Atlanta police used a fraudulently obtained warrant and fatally shot 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in her home. Two weeks later, 400 people attended a town hall meeting called by the Atlanta NAACP.

In April 2007, 26-year-old Ron Pettaway was killed by Fulton County police in the Atlanta suburb of College Park. Five hundred people showed up for Pettaway’s funeral, 200 of them marching in the funeral procession.

In Gwinnet County there have been protests in the last two years against several deaths from police use of Tasers. The DeKalb grand jury report recommended Tasers be issued to each police officer, arguing their use would save lives.  
 
 
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