Vol. 79/No. 8      March 9, 2015

After Davis was shot, police took him to Grady Hospital, cuffed his ankles to his bed and denied requests from his family to visit him. Family members “called, went to the hospital, they tried everything in their power to see him so he wouldn’t die alone,” Mawuli Davis, lawyer for the family, told the press.

“They denied us access to him because they didn’t want him telling us what really happened that night,” Delisa Davis, Kevin’s sister, told the Guardian.

Some 100 friends, co-workers and opponents of police killings marched Jan. 29 from the DeKalb Courthouse to Sawicki’s sandwich shop where Davis worked and back to the courthouse.

“DeKalb County Police dismissed us like yesterday’s garbage,” Delisa Davis told the crowd. “We need help because we can’t fight alone.”

Kevin Davis had called 911 after Terrance Hilyard, a down-on-his-luck co-worker he had invited to stay at the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, April Edwards, got in an argument with Edwards, stabbed her and fled.

Pitts showed up and shot and killed Davis’ dog. Hearing the shots, Edwards said they thought Hilyard had come back. Davis got his handgun and went to the door, where Pitts shot him.

The cops claim Pitts announced himself as an officer and told Davis to put down the gun before shooting. Edwards and a number of neighbors say Pitts shot Davis as soon as he saw him, without saying anything. Everyone agrees Davis did not point his gun at anyone.

Davis had no history of trouble with the law. He was well respected by his co-workers at the deli, who have built a memorial to him and spoken out publicly in his defense.

Family members and their supporters are planning further activities. “This is exactly what Kevin would have wanted of us,” Delisa Davis said, “to seek justice. He didn’t deserve what he got.”
 
 
Related article:
Pussy Riot protests police brutality, Ukraine war
 
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home