TallPine
Member
Oh, my, redneck2.
You don't suppose the cop might have lied do you? Nah, couldn't happen.
You don't suppose the cop might have lied do you? Nah, couldn't happen.
Deputy orders unarmed man to ground, then kills him.
- Thread starter hammer4nc
- Start date
- Status
We've all seen the modern felony stop protocol: officers standing behind open doors, calling out vehicle occupants one by one, commands: "walk backwards, kneel down, lie down, hands stretched out to your sides"; or some variation. This is how officers behave when a "COPS" film crew is standing behind them.
Contrast that with the witness statement in this case:
(from the previously cited story)
A little more detail here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7486339.htm
One gets the distinct impression that this is "real" SOP that has evolved, largely because of the war on drugs, as opposed to the sanitized segments we see on "COPS". Looks like there will be much more written about this incident, as there should be. Hopefully those responsible will be brought to justice. Not just "oral reprimands", "paid administrative leave"...
This is not said to bash cops. I personally have never had a cross word with a leo. However, nothing short of severe criminal penalties will purge the thuggish element from law enforcement, and change attitudes that seem to have become commonplace. Rather than circling the wagons to defend this action, honorable leo's should be leading the fight to see that things change.
Contrast that with the witness statement in this case:
(from the previously cited story)
A little more detail here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7486339.htm
One gets the distinct impression that this is "real" SOP that has evolved, largely because of the war on drugs, as opposed to the sanitized segments we see on "COPS". Looks like there will be much more written about this incident, as there should be. Hopefully those responsible will be brought to justice. Not just "oral reprimands", "paid administrative leave"...
This is not said to bash cops. I personally have never had a cross word with a leo. However, nothing short of severe criminal penalties will purge the thuggish element from law enforcement, and change attitudes that seem to have become commonplace. Rather than circling the wagons to defend this action, honorable leo's should be leading the fight to see that things change.
This story not going away...
Meanwhile, GBI and FBI are conducting parallel investigations. The sheriffs office has not released the dashcam video, and is still withholding the name of the shooter. Other stories have confirmed the idea that 2 shots were fired at the victim.
link: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7561384.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted on Wed, Dec. 24, 2003
Anger, too
Rally speakers say answers needed before city's healing can begin
BY KELLI ESTERS
Staff Writer
On the 12th day following the death of Kenneth B. Walker, concerned citizens rallied Tuesday morning demanding answers from the Muscogee County Sheriff's Department as to why one of their own is gone.
"We are pissed," said Antonio Carter, local chapter president for the National Action Network. "The only thing that can save you is when the truth comes to light."
About 100 people gathered at 11 a.m. at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park on Buena Vista Road and Lawyers Lane. The rally was the fourth since the death of Walker on Dec. 11.
Walker was shot and killed by a Muscogee County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop of a vehicle suspected of having armed drug traffickers inside. Walker and three other men were pulled from the vehicle. No drugs or weapons were found.
The tone of Tuesday's rally at the park took on a different tenor from the subdued one held Monday where Columbus ministers came together to show that the whole community -- white and black -- is concerned with the circumstances that led to Walker's death.
Tuesday's rally was more intense and filled with anger.
"The bootleg leadership they had on stage yesterday doesn't speak for all of us," Carter said of the minister-sponsored rally on Monday.
The mantra of Tuesday's rally -- "This is not a case, this is a cause" -- was repeated by various speakers representing area churches, the NAACP and NAN.
Zephaniah Baker of Spirit Filled Methodist Church said people are tired of "open-ended statements" and "police terrorism."
"Now is not the time for words, but a time for action," Baker said.
To "expedite the relief of pain" the community is feeling, Baker called for the release of the name of the sheriff's deputy who shot Walker. That statement received a hearty applause from the crowd. He also asked for the release of the video recording of the incident and for Sheriff Ralph Johnson to resign.
"You are responsible for the 'goon squad' continually terrorizing our community," Baker said.
The sheriff could not be reached for comment.
Some passers-by on Buena Vista slowed their cars as they passed the park. One stopped on the side of the road momentarily as its driver listened.
Some present at the rally held signs, including a 4-year-old boy whose sign read: "Our Children Must Understand We Value Life."
Wilbert Williams II held a sign that read: "Let Peace Begin with Me."
"I don't agree with what happened," said the 17-year-old. "But I think what is going on here is right."
He and a group of his friends were at the rally representing the young adult perspective, he said.
A group of four male high schoolers led a harmonized rendition of the "Negro National Anthem," "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
Minister Jamie Williams spoke for Cheryl Walker, the widow of Kenneth Walker, saying the young woman needs answers.
"As of today, right now, she has no answers," Williams said. "I challenge you to be awakened, Columbus. The truth must be told. Justice must prevail."
She added, crying, that the one thing God hates is the shedding of innocent blood.
"When one hurts, we all hurt," Williams said. "If we don't hurt, something is wrong with us."
Michael Muhammad spoke with anger, continually pounding the podium with his fist. He urged those present to keep pressing for resolve and not to "punk out."
"We should be tired of burying our dead," Muhammad said. "All of this senseless killing needs to stop."
NAACP Columbus Chapter President Edward DuBose said he was there speaking as a black man.
"The only thing I have to gain is I could meet the same fate," DuBose said. "If you're black in America, you're still not safe."
DuBose reiterated that without answers there would be no healing.
"If there is a nail in my arm and it's still in my arm, don't ask me to heal until that nail is removed," DuBose said.
The Rev. H.L. Burnette was there to see whether people in the community have become complacent, but said he was glad to see that people are still energized. He added that sometimes people confuse the issue and generate a false pretense of "oneness."
"It's stupid to think we are one on everything," Burnette said. "We need to stop generalizing, forget about the open-ended contract and have some boundaries."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, GBI and FBI are conducting parallel investigations. The sheriffs office has not released the dashcam video, and is still withholding the name of the shooter. Other stories have confirmed the idea that 2 shots were fired at the victim.
link: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7561384.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted on Wed, Dec. 24, 2003
Anger, too
Rally speakers say answers needed before city's healing can begin
BY KELLI ESTERS
Staff Writer
On the 12th day following the death of Kenneth B. Walker, concerned citizens rallied Tuesday morning demanding answers from the Muscogee County Sheriff's Department as to why one of their own is gone.
"We are pissed," said Antonio Carter, local chapter president for the National Action Network. "The only thing that can save you is when the truth comes to light."
About 100 people gathered at 11 a.m. at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park on Buena Vista Road and Lawyers Lane. The rally was the fourth since the death of Walker on Dec. 11.
Walker was shot and killed by a Muscogee County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop of a vehicle suspected of having armed drug traffickers inside. Walker and three other men were pulled from the vehicle. No drugs or weapons were found.
The tone of Tuesday's rally at the park took on a different tenor from the subdued one held Monday where Columbus ministers came together to show that the whole community -- white and black -- is concerned with the circumstances that led to Walker's death.
Tuesday's rally was more intense and filled with anger.
"The bootleg leadership they had on stage yesterday doesn't speak for all of us," Carter said of the minister-sponsored rally on Monday.
The mantra of Tuesday's rally -- "This is not a case, this is a cause" -- was repeated by various speakers representing area churches, the NAACP and NAN.
Zephaniah Baker of Spirit Filled Methodist Church said people are tired of "open-ended statements" and "police terrorism."
"Now is not the time for words, but a time for action," Baker said.
To "expedite the relief of pain" the community is feeling, Baker called for the release of the name of the sheriff's deputy who shot Walker. That statement received a hearty applause from the crowd. He also asked for the release of the video recording of the incident and for Sheriff Ralph Johnson to resign.
"You are responsible for the 'goon squad' continually terrorizing our community," Baker said.
The sheriff could not be reached for comment.
Some passers-by on Buena Vista slowed their cars as they passed the park. One stopped on the side of the road momentarily as its driver listened.
Some present at the rally held signs, including a 4-year-old boy whose sign read: "Our Children Must Understand We Value Life."
Wilbert Williams II held a sign that read: "Let Peace Begin with Me."
"I don't agree with what happened," said the 17-year-old. "But I think what is going on here is right."
He and a group of his friends were at the rally representing the young adult perspective, he said.
A group of four male high schoolers led a harmonized rendition of the "Negro National Anthem," "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
Minister Jamie Williams spoke for Cheryl Walker, the widow of Kenneth Walker, saying the young woman needs answers.
"As of today, right now, she has no answers," Williams said. "I challenge you to be awakened, Columbus. The truth must be told. Justice must prevail."
She added, crying, that the one thing God hates is the shedding of innocent blood.
"When one hurts, we all hurt," Williams said. "If we don't hurt, something is wrong with us."
Michael Muhammad spoke with anger, continually pounding the podium with his fist. He urged those present to keep pressing for resolve and not to "punk out."
"We should be tired of burying our dead," Muhammad said. "All of this senseless killing needs to stop."
NAACP Columbus Chapter President Edward DuBose said he was there speaking as a black man.
"The only thing I have to gain is I could meet the same fate," DuBose said. "If you're black in America, you're still not safe."
DuBose reiterated that without answers there would be no healing.
"If there is a nail in my arm and it's still in my arm, don't ask me to heal until that nail is removed," DuBose said.
The Rev. H.L. Burnette was there to see whether people in the community have become complacent, but said he was glad to see that people are still energized. He added that sometimes people confuse the issue and generate a false pretense of "oneness."
"It's stupid to think we are one on everything," Burnette said. "We need to stop generalizing, forget about the open-ended contract and have some boundaries."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JennYe
Member
From the title to the post, I expected this to have happened in Oklahoma.
Blackcloud6
Member
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2002
- Messages
- 608
Analyse this by the facts:
1. A man was shot and killed by a deputy Sheriff.
2. The incident occrred at a stop of van with four men leaving an apartment complex under surviellience for drug activity.
3. The men in van have no criminal record.
4. No gun was found on the deceased.
5. Man was shot in the head while lying on the ground face down.
Information that bear on the problem but may or may not be facts (and should not be given the weight of a fact):
A. Deputy states that the man did not move one hand out from under his body. (Not a fact as only the deputy and the deceased know if this is true or not) May help in determining state of mind of the shooter.
B. The driver states he was pulled out of the car by the Deputy. May show that the deputy was in an aggressive state of mind.
C. The Sheriff says there "was some resistence" from Walker. This has no value yet as its 3d hand. Did the deputy say this? Or is the Sheriff assuming?
Unkown but important questions?
1. Did the deputy know anyone of the four or have any previous contact with them?
2. How long was the deputy on duty?
3. What wer ethe noise conditions when the deputy gave the commands?
4. Why did he stop four potential bad-guys without back-up?
5. Although it is noted the deputy is a veteren, what truely is his experience? Has he ever had bad encounters with others in stops etc.?
If I was investingating this, I would investigate in order for:
Murder
Manslaughter
Accidentental Discharge
Self-Defense
(I beleive it is standard law-enforcement investigative techniques to start with the worse possible crime and try to rule them out. Nothing in my facts list can yet rule out murder.)
In my line of work, we handle many vauge situations with incomplete and sometimes contradictory information. Some from seemingly reliable sources, some from weak ones. But the most important part of analysis is put your own biases and emotions aside!
So in my intital analyis offf of what is contained in these posts (and that itself is something to consider, this one is squarely in the "Very Bad Shoot" category until proven otherwise.
The Sheriff is doing the right thing asking for independent investigations.
The people of the town should be outraged. (Heck, up here in Detroit they enraged when a cop shoots BG who is clearly commiting a crime and/or threatening the Police)
Now, to al the LEOs out there that back this deputy up, I understand your position and whay. But, you guys are supposed to make the right decision, always. That is tough standard but is one that maybe some LEOs don't really think about. If you would, and if you want to achieve that standard you would train and train and train always. I speculate that many veteren officers relax on their training standards later in their career. This is a dangerous time then. There are many veteren fighter pilots who became smoking holes in the ground because they forgot the basics or overestimated their abiltites.
This one is bad no matter what because the outcome (dead innocent person) awlays outweighs the why (possible self-defense shoot).
We who serve the public have a moral responsibility to do it right everytime. I do understand that things go bad but its no excuse.
Respectfully,
1. A man was shot and killed by a deputy Sheriff.
2. The incident occrred at a stop of van with four men leaving an apartment complex under surviellience for drug activity.
3. The men in van have no criminal record.
4. No gun was found on the deceased.
5. Man was shot in the head while lying on the ground face down.
Information that bear on the problem but may or may not be facts (and should not be given the weight of a fact):
A. Deputy states that the man did not move one hand out from under his body. (Not a fact as only the deputy and the deceased know if this is true or not) May help in determining state of mind of the shooter.
B. The driver states he was pulled out of the car by the Deputy. May show that the deputy was in an aggressive state of mind.
C. The Sheriff says there "was some resistence" from Walker. This has no value yet as its 3d hand. Did the deputy say this? Or is the Sheriff assuming?
Unkown but important questions?
1. Did the deputy know anyone of the four or have any previous contact with them?
2. How long was the deputy on duty?
3. What wer ethe noise conditions when the deputy gave the commands?
4. Why did he stop four potential bad-guys without back-up?
5. Although it is noted the deputy is a veteren, what truely is his experience? Has he ever had bad encounters with others in stops etc.?
If I was investingating this, I would investigate in order for:
Murder
Manslaughter
Accidentental Discharge
Self-Defense
(I beleive it is standard law-enforcement investigative techniques to start with the worse possible crime and try to rule them out. Nothing in my facts list can yet rule out murder.)
In my line of work, we handle many vauge situations with incomplete and sometimes contradictory information. Some from seemingly reliable sources, some from weak ones. But the most important part of analysis is put your own biases and emotions aside!
So in my intital analyis offf of what is contained in these posts (and that itself is something to consider, this one is squarely in the "Very Bad Shoot" category until proven otherwise.
The Sheriff is doing the right thing asking for independent investigations.
The people of the town should be outraged. (Heck, up here in Detroit they enraged when a cop shoots BG who is clearly commiting a crime and/or threatening the Police)
Now, to al the LEOs out there that back this deputy up, I understand your position and whay. But, you guys are supposed to make the right decision, always. That is tough standard but is one that maybe some LEOs don't really think about. If you would, and if you want to achieve that standard you would train and train and train always. I speculate that many veteren officers relax on their training standards later in their career. This is a dangerous time then. There are many veteren fighter pilots who became smoking holes in the ground because they forgot the basics or overestimated their abiltites.
This one is bad no matter what because the outcome (dead innocent person) awlays outweighs the why (possible self-defense shoot).
We who serve the public have a moral responsibility to do it right everytime. I do understand that things go bad but its no excuse.
Respectfully,
I feel for all parties involved. To have to make that call and take a mans life is regretable. Situations like this dont just come up. It takes both parties to have the scene. I dont think an unarmed man should have died here but, when you involve non cooperation and 4 people I guess you would have to do as you see fit. I dont judge I just think doing as asked or told, would have prevented all of this.
chickenfried
Member
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2003
- Messages
- 497
Great post on the subject, black cloud, articulated my thoughts better than I could have. I'm really troubled by the LEO posts defending the deputy, and their reasoning. If an armed citizen did this in their home with a robber they caught, what kind of treatment would they be getting from LE now? Policeman should be held to a higher standard, not lower than the average citizen.
Lone_Gunman
Member
Its probably a negligent discharge. Officer probably very worried about being outnumbered by possible felons, adrenaline pumping, and then BAM.
Anyone know what gun the Muscogee Co Sheriff's department issues? Does it have an external safety? Not trying to implicate the gun here, as clearly the officer pulled the trigger, but curious.
If it is a negligent discharge, I really think the officer should get the same punishment as the guy he shot. Sorry but OOPS doesnt cut it.
Anyone know what gun the Muscogee Co Sheriff's department issues? Does it have an external safety? Not trying to implicate the gun here, as clearly the officer pulled the trigger, but curious.
If it is a negligent discharge, I really think the officer should get the same punishment as the guy he shot. Sorry but OOPS doesnt cut it.
HBK
member
I really don't know what to say about this other than it is a horribly sad situation. I wasn't there and don't know what really transpired. I can see both sides of it. It looks pretty bad for the officer, but I'm not sure of the circumstances at all. I think Black Cloud's post says it as closely to the way I think about it. Sucks all the way around, though. 
Jeff Thomas
Member
Wouldn't surprise me if HABU and others voting for negligent discharge are correct. Worked up deputy, finger on the trigger, and perhaps trying to jerk the man's arm ... pulls the trigger when he grabs something with his other hand. Combination of adrenaline and poor training / practice.
But, we'll see what the judge and jury say. Darn shame.
Regards from TX
But, we'll see what the judge and jury say. Darn shame.
Regards from TX
clubsoda22
member
Smells like a bad excuse for a ND to me. Shame someone had to die because the officer either forgot his training or wasn't taught well.
clubsoda22
member
in that case, what was he thinking?
Geezer
Member
LEO COMMANDS
Last time I was stopped, was about 20-odd years ago. The LEOs, LAPD narcs, were convinced I had exited a driveway a couple doors down from where I had actually been parked. About 11:30, sunshiny day in Canoga Park, CA.
I had driven about 8 blocks, pulled into a parking lot where I had an appointment, started to get out of my vehicle and all of a sudden wierd guys in civvies were screaming at me. The orders were contradictory and confusing and I had not a clue as to what was going on. I was so scared I forgot my address! This was a period in my life when I was undergoing extreme PTSD symptoms, including flashbacks about every 20 minutes or so. It doesn't take much imagination to see how easily this could have turned out with me shot by mistake, except with no witnesses, I would have been flaked with a throwaway, and the shooting would have been termed justified.
The expectation by LEOs that everyone they encounter is a career criminal and is experienced in how to be arrested is so f....g dumb that it beggars explanation. Some LEOs have even suggested school classes in how to be arrested.
Also lets remember that there is such a thing as a bell curve, and it applies everywhere, even to LEOs and doctors. One half of the LEOs out on the street are below average, one third are a full Std Deviation below average. I support my local police, and I am a right-wing law and order type, but that does not justify denial of the realities or forgiving incompetence and unbelievable stupidity.
God bless and y'all be careful out there.
PS Merry Christmas
Last time I was stopped, was about 20-odd years ago. The LEOs, LAPD narcs, were convinced I had exited a driveway a couple doors down from where I had actually been parked. About 11:30, sunshiny day in Canoga Park, CA.
I had driven about 8 blocks, pulled into a parking lot where I had an appointment, started to get out of my vehicle and all of a sudden wierd guys in civvies were screaming at me. The orders were contradictory and confusing and I had not a clue as to what was going on. I was so scared I forgot my address! This was a period in my life when I was undergoing extreme PTSD symptoms, including flashbacks about every 20 minutes or so. It doesn't take much imagination to see how easily this could have turned out with me shot by mistake, except with no witnesses, I would have been flaked with a throwaway, and the shooting would have been termed justified.
The expectation by LEOs that everyone they encounter is a career criminal and is experienced in how to be arrested is so f....g dumb that it beggars explanation. Some LEOs have even suggested school classes in how to be arrested.
Also lets remember that there is such a thing as a bell curve, and it applies everywhere, even to LEOs and doctors. One half of the LEOs out on the street are below average, one third are a full Std Deviation below average. I support my local police, and I am a right-wing law and order type, but that does not justify denial of the realities or forgiving incompetence and unbelievable stupidity.
God bless and y'all be careful out there.
PS Merry Christmas
Flynt
Member
I support cops too...
but not blindly! Anyone of us on this forum could find ourselves in the very same situation as those four guys in Columbus. I'm a real boyscout/good citizen, with only a couple of speeding tickets on my record, but I can't rule out the fact that I could conceivably stumble across some stakeout. If I'm dropping off something at my brother-in-law's apartment and there are drug dealers living there, does that mean that my life should be expendable? One of the reason that I support reasonable due process, etc. is so that I would be treated fairly if there was ever some case of mistaken identity, or whatever.
How would those of you defending the deputy (fired 2 shots, remember?) feel if it had been your kid lying dead on the pavement? Would you conclude, "Well that was the chance he took when he went to that apartment complex, and I guess he should have been quicker to comply with the officers' orders?"
but not blindly! Anyone of us on this forum could find ourselves in the very same situation as those four guys in Columbus. I'm a real boyscout/good citizen, with only a couple of speeding tickets on my record, but I can't rule out the fact that I could conceivably stumble across some stakeout. If I'm dropping off something at my brother-in-law's apartment and there are drug dealers living there, does that mean that my life should be expendable? One of the reason that I support reasonable due process, etc. is so that I would be treated fairly if there was ever some case of mistaken identity, or whatever.
How would those of you defending the deputy (fired 2 shots, remember?) feel if it had been your kid lying dead on the pavement? Would you conclude, "Well that was the chance he took when he went to that apartment complex, and I guess he should have been quicker to comply with the officers' orders?"
Lone_Gunman
Member
One way or another, I hope justice is served.
Ryder
Member
Apparent to me "they" don't think "we" could be one on anything considering the quotes in that story. Old habits die hard but I don't see color in stories like this. It could have happened to anyone of us.
Threads like this one make me pretty durned proud of our Membership.
I'm seeing very few posts here that indicate a knee-jerk rush to judgement, but rather, am seeing plenty of reasoned posts that consider the facts reported in an emotionally-charged situation. In all the discussion boards out there, I would bet that very few threads on the topic are as even-handed as this one.
There is some good analysis here. Too bad we don't have more facts to go on. (Probably some people involved in investigating the case are saying the same thing. . . )
Thanks for keeping it civil, and reasoned, friends!
-Your humble Moderator.
I'm seeing very few posts here that indicate a knee-jerk rush to judgement, but rather, am seeing plenty of reasoned posts that consider the facts reported in an emotionally-charged situation. In all the discussion boards out there, I would bet that very few threads on the topic are as even-handed as this one.
There is some good analysis here. Too bad we don't have more facts to go on. (Probably some people involved in investigating the case are saying the same thing. . . )
Thanks for keeping it civil, and reasoned, friends!
-Your humble Moderator.
UPDATE: Sheriff releases statement.
After more than a month, the Muscogee County Sheriff has identified the deputy who pulled the trigger, and given a statement describing the event.
The GBI/FBI investigations are ongoing; yet the deputy and the witnesses in the car haven't been interviewed yet The dashcam video has not been released. There have been numerous community protests, since the shooting. There's a brief mention that the deputy had been suspended for a past incident, involving alleged excessive violence...
Of particular interest to this gun board, it has been established that the deputy used an H&K MP-5, which was set on burst or full auto mode at the time of the traffic stop
. This may help explain how a multi-shot ND could occur. Officers may wish to comment on the use of this weapon, in this mode, relative to training protocol for suspected felony traffic stop? Also, notice the standard misreporting, of the gun firing itself:
Link: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7731491.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheriff speaks
Johnson says traffic stop that led to shooting was not random or the result of racial profiling
BY JIM HOUSTON AND MURIEL TAN
Staff Writers
After more than five weeks of silence, details of the first official investigation into the Dec. 10 fatal shooting of Kenneth B. Walker by a sheriff's deputy were released to the public Friday by Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson.
Johnson's five-page synopsis of the events that led to the incident named Deputy David Glisson as the officer whose weapon fired the fatal shot that killed Walker, but made no determination whether the incident was accidental, justifiable or a possible criminal act.
"To only call this incident a tragedy would be an understatement," Johnson said. "To say that all of us in law enforcement are shocked, saddened and extremely regretful cannot adequately express our feelings. I am determined to do everything that I can to prevent this from happening again."
Walker, 39, was one of four occupants of a gray GMC Yukon stopped by sheriff's deputies on Interstate 185 at 8:58 p.m. As the four men were being removed from the vehicle, Glisson's MP-5 tactical sub-machine gun fired two shots, one of which struck Walker in the forehead, Johnson said.
Deputies assisting the Metro Narcotics Task Force had been told the Yukon's occupants might be armed, the sheriff said.
Apartment surveillance
The incident began after task force agents launched a surveillance of suspected drug dealers operating from a unit at NorthWoods Apartments, 5000 Armour Road. About 90 minutes before the fatal incident, an informant working with the task force reported that a man leaving the apartment had obtained drugs. Michael Powell, 31, was followed to a restaurant on Wynnton Road, where agents charged him with trafficking in cocaine after finding $6,370 worth of crack cocaine in his car, Johnson said.
At 8 p.m., four members of the Sheriff's Special Response Team were called in to assist Metro agents in a search of the apartment of Darrell Jackson, 32, -- also identified on police reports as Darren Jackson -- and Thomas Randall, 33. While waiting for the search warrant, a gray GMC Yukon with four people inside drove into the apartment complex with Kenneth Walker sitting in the right rear passenger seat, the sheriff said.
The Metro informant told the agents the Yukon matched the description of a Yukon driven by the Miami man who supplied Jackson with cocaine, Johnson said.
The Yukon stayed a few minutes, then left the complex -- followed by a surveillance team -- and returned a short time later, the sheriff said. A man seated in the left rear passenger seat left the vehicle carrying a package wrapped in plastic, met with Jackson outside the apartment, then carried the package into the apartment. The informant told agents the man looked like one of the Miami dealers, Johnson said.
Several minutes later, the other three men in the Yukon also left the vehicle and went into the apartment, where they remained for about 15 minutes, then returned to their vehicle and drove away, the sheriff said.
Traffic stop
The sheriff's deputies in two marked patrol units assisting Metro were asked to stop the vehicle, which they did on I-185 between Manchester Expressway and Macon Road near the Edgewood underpass, he said.
"As the occupants of the Yukon were being removed from the vehicle, Kenneth Walker was shot by Deputy David Glisson at approximately 8:58 p.m.," Johnson said.
The investigation showed Glisson's weapon discharged twice from an automatic setting, with Walker declared dead at The Medical Center at 2:25 a.m. the next morning, he said.
Johnson did not name the other occupants of the Yukon. The night of the incident, investigators detained Yukon owner Warren Beaulah, Anthony Smith and Daryl Ransom, releasing them without charge shortly after Walker died.
Attorney Dwayne L. Brown, of Montgomery, Ala., who has been retained to represent Beaulah, Smith and Ransom, did not return a telephone request for comment about the sheriff's report.
Chris Hosey, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said Brown had agreed to allow his three clients to speak with investigators next week.
Apartment arrests
Johnson said almost two hours after the shooting incident, agents armed with a search warrant raided the apartment of Jackson and Randall, where they found $300 worth of crack cocaine and $2,400 worth of powder cocaine. Both men were charged with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, with Jackson also charged with possessing a firearm during a crime. Both men later pleaded not guilty to the charges. Jackson is being held without bond and Randall was ordered held in lieu of $15,000 bond in Muscogee County Jail.
Independent probe
After detailing the steps leading up to and immediately following the shooting incident, Johnson said his investigation has been forwarded to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which has launched a formal probe.
The sheriff responded for the first time to speculation by some concerned leaders who characterized the incident as an example of racial profiling -- a law enforcement stop of a vehicle based solely on the race of its occupants.
"This was not a racially profiled random traffic stop," Johnson said.
The sheriff also said he had faced a dilemma for more than a month pitting his desire to disclose the facts his investigation discovered against the desire not to "do anything that would interfere with the investigation being conducted by the GBI."
After remaining quiet, for which some community leaders have criticized the sheriff, Johnson said he decided to make his investigation's facts public.
But further action by the sheriff must await the results of the GBI's probe, he said, including an administrative decision as to Glisson's fate.
"Upon completion of this investigation, I assure the citizens of Muscogee County that I will take appropriate action in this matter," Johnson said.
The sheriff's office has not had a shooting incident in more than 10 years, and no shooting-related death in more than 20 years, he said. Glisson has not been involved in a shooting incident during his 20-year career with the department, Johnson said.
"As a life-long citizen of Muscogee County, and in my 22 years of law enforcement, I have never experienced such a tragedy as this," said Johnson, who pledged to do everything he can to help "heal, nurture and restore tranquility" to the community and prevent such an incident from happening again.
"I assure you that nothing in this investigation has been covered up. Everything has been and will be exposed to the GBI and FBI," he said.
Deputy on leave
Deputy Glisson, who remains on administrative leave with pay, could not be reached for comment. Attorney Richard Hagler, who represents Glisson, said neither he nor his client would comment about the sheriff's report or the ongoing GBI investigation.
"At this point, he is not going to talk to media about it at all," Hagler said. "He is, has been and continues to be tremendously distraught and upset at what happened. This was a trauma to Kenneth Walker's family and to David Glisson and his family."
The sheriff's department also continued its refusal to allow reporters access to Glisson's personnel file, which has been requested under the Georgia Open Records Act. Chief Deputy Jimmy Griffin said the file remains closed to public access because a criminal investigation is still in progress.
Ledger-Enquirer files include a report that Deputy Glisson and another deputy were suspended in October 1991, following a complaint of excessive violence. After an investigation into the allegations brought by the husband arrested in September 1991, following a domestic violence incident, Sheriff Gene Hodge ordered Glisson suspended for a week without pay for failure to file a thorough report of the incident. The other deputy was suspended without pay for three days.
That incident did not involve a firearm. It followed a complaint filed by the arrested man's attorney alleging his client was hit in the head and face, and his head was slammed against the patrol car. The investigation found no proof that the force used was excessive, Hodge reported.
Community reaction
Local NAACP President Edward DuBose said Friday Johnson should have fired Glisson immediately, based on information available to him within the first 24 hours of the shooting.
Citing a source he refused to name, DuBose said, "The officer should not be on administrative leave with pay, considering the information the sheriff has in his possession."
"I defy Sheriff Johnson to state publicly that he did not have information that this officer intentionally shot Mr. Walker," said DuBose, promising to reveal his source next week.
National Action Network state chairman Antonio Carter said the information disclosed Friday by the sheriff did not change the fact that an unarmed man was shot to death by a deputy, and no drugs or weapons were recovered from the vehicle or its occupants.
"If they believed someone in the vehicle was carrying weapons or drugs, there's a process and procedure in how you carry out a felony stop of a vehicle," Carter said. "If they felt their lives were in danger, they should have taken them out of the vehicle one by one."
Reached at his Capitol office Friday night, state Rep. Calvin Smyre called Johnson's disclosures today "a step in the right direction."
"It cleared up a lot of things for me," Smyre said. "But at the same time, it doesn't get to the heart of what we're after -- and that's the findings."
Smyre said he hoped that once the GBI's findings were released to the District Attorney's office, the videotape of the incident will be released.
"You see incidents all over America -- you see someone coming before a microphone giving updates on the status of an investigation, and for us not to reveal any type of information -- that will not work," said the Columbus lawmaker.
The Rev. William Howell, president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Columbus, said Johnson's delay in releasing information has damaged the community and his political future.
"He has eroded the trust and safety of the citizens of the community and has called into question his credibility and ability to function as a top law enforcement officer," Howell said. "And for this, he shall pay at the ballot box."
After more than a month, the Muscogee County Sheriff has identified the deputy who pulled the trigger, and given a statement describing the event.
The GBI/FBI investigations are ongoing; yet the deputy and the witnesses in the car haven't been interviewed yet
The dashcam video has not been released. There have been numerous community protests, since the shooting. There's a brief mention that the deputy had been suspended for a past incident, involving alleged excessive violence...Of particular interest to this gun board, it has been established that the deputy used an H&K MP-5, which was set on burst or full auto mode at the time of the traffic stop
. This may help explain how a multi-shot ND could occur. Officers may wish to comment on the use of this weapon, in this mode, relative to training protocol for suspected felony traffic stop? Also, notice the standard misreporting, of the gun firing itself:
Another important detail that is still unclear to me...was the gray Yukon stopped, actually the one that was identified at the drug house, or did a mixup occur somewhere? Since all the occupants of the car came up clean?
Link: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7731491.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheriff speaks
Johnson says traffic stop that led to shooting was not random or the result of racial profiling
BY JIM HOUSTON AND MURIEL TAN
Staff Writers
After more than five weeks of silence, details of the first official investigation into the Dec. 10 fatal shooting of Kenneth B. Walker by a sheriff's deputy were released to the public Friday by Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson.
Johnson's five-page synopsis of the events that led to the incident named Deputy David Glisson as the officer whose weapon fired the fatal shot that killed Walker, but made no determination whether the incident was accidental, justifiable or a possible criminal act.
"To only call this incident a tragedy would be an understatement," Johnson said. "To say that all of us in law enforcement are shocked, saddened and extremely regretful cannot adequately express our feelings. I am determined to do everything that I can to prevent this from happening again."
Walker, 39, was one of four occupants of a gray GMC Yukon stopped by sheriff's deputies on Interstate 185 at 8:58 p.m. As the four men were being removed from the vehicle, Glisson's MP-5 tactical sub-machine gun fired two shots, one of which struck Walker in the forehead, Johnson said.
Deputies assisting the Metro Narcotics Task Force had been told the Yukon's occupants might be armed, the sheriff said.
Apartment surveillance
The incident began after task force agents launched a surveillance of suspected drug dealers operating from a unit at NorthWoods Apartments, 5000 Armour Road. About 90 minutes before the fatal incident, an informant working with the task force reported that a man leaving the apartment had obtained drugs. Michael Powell, 31, was followed to a restaurant on Wynnton Road, where agents charged him with trafficking in cocaine after finding $6,370 worth of crack cocaine in his car, Johnson said.
At 8 p.m., four members of the Sheriff's Special Response Team were called in to assist Metro agents in a search of the apartment of Darrell Jackson, 32, -- also identified on police reports as Darren Jackson -- and Thomas Randall, 33. While waiting for the search warrant, a gray GMC Yukon with four people inside drove into the apartment complex with Kenneth Walker sitting in the right rear passenger seat, the sheriff said.
The Metro informant told the agents the Yukon matched the description of a Yukon driven by the Miami man who supplied Jackson with cocaine, Johnson said.
The Yukon stayed a few minutes, then left the complex -- followed by a surveillance team -- and returned a short time later, the sheriff said. A man seated in the left rear passenger seat left the vehicle carrying a package wrapped in plastic, met with Jackson outside the apartment, then carried the package into the apartment. The informant told agents the man looked like one of the Miami dealers, Johnson said.
Several minutes later, the other three men in the Yukon also left the vehicle and went into the apartment, where they remained for about 15 minutes, then returned to their vehicle and drove away, the sheriff said.
Traffic stop
The sheriff's deputies in two marked patrol units assisting Metro were asked to stop the vehicle, which they did on I-185 between Manchester Expressway and Macon Road near the Edgewood underpass, he said.
"As the occupants of the Yukon were being removed from the vehicle, Kenneth Walker was shot by Deputy David Glisson at approximately 8:58 p.m.," Johnson said.
The investigation showed Glisson's weapon discharged twice from an automatic setting, with Walker declared dead at The Medical Center at 2:25 a.m. the next morning, he said.
Johnson did not name the other occupants of the Yukon. The night of the incident, investigators detained Yukon owner Warren Beaulah, Anthony Smith and Daryl Ransom, releasing them without charge shortly after Walker died.
Attorney Dwayne L. Brown, of Montgomery, Ala., who has been retained to represent Beaulah, Smith and Ransom, did not return a telephone request for comment about the sheriff's report.
Chris Hosey, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said Brown had agreed to allow his three clients to speak with investigators next week.
Apartment arrests
Johnson said almost two hours after the shooting incident, agents armed with a search warrant raided the apartment of Jackson and Randall, where they found $300 worth of crack cocaine and $2,400 worth of powder cocaine. Both men were charged with possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, with Jackson also charged with possessing a firearm during a crime. Both men later pleaded not guilty to the charges. Jackson is being held without bond and Randall was ordered held in lieu of $15,000 bond in Muscogee County Jail.
Independent probe
After detailing the steps leading up to and immediately following the shooting incident, Johnson said his investigation has been forwarded to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which has launched a formal probe.
The sheriff responded for the first time to speculation by some concerned leaders who characterized the incident as an example of racial profiling -- a law enforcement stop of a vehicle based solely on the race of its occupants.
"This was not a racially profiled random traffic stop," Johnson said.
The sheriff also said he had faced a dilemma for more than a month pitting his desire to disclose the facts his investigation discovered against the desire not to "do anything that would interfere with the investigation being conducted by the GBI."
After remaining quiet, for which some community leaders have criticized the sheriff, Johnson said he decided to make his investigation's facts public.
But further action by the sheriff must await the results of the GBI's probe, he said, including an administrative decision as to Glisson's fate.
"Upon completion of this investigation, I assure the citizens of Muscogee County that I will take appropriate action in this matter," Johnson said.
The sheriff's office has not had a shooting incident in more than 10 years, and no shooting-related death in more than 20 years, he said. Glisson has not been involved in a shooting incident during his 20-year career with the department, Johnson said.
"As a life-long citizen of Muscogee County, and in my 22 years of law enforcement, I have never experienced such a tragedy as this," said Johnson, who pledged to do everything he can to help "heal, nurture and restore tranquility" to the community and prevent such an incident from happening again.
"I assure you that nothing in this investigation has been covered up. Everything has been and will be exposed to the GBI and FBI," he said.
Deputy on leave
Deputy Glisson, who remains on administrative leave with pay, could not be reached for comment. Attorney Richard Hagler, who represents Glisson, said neither he nor his client would comment about the sheriff's report or the ongoing GBI investigation.
"At this point, he is not going to talk to media about it at all," Hagler said. "He is, has been and continues to be tremendously distraught and upset at what happened. This was a trauma to Kenneth Walker's family and to David Glisson and his family."
The sheriff's department also continued its refusal to allow reporters access to Glisson's personnel file, which has been requested under the Georgia Open Records Act. Chief Deputy Jimmy Griffin said the file remains closed to public access because a criminal investigation is still in progress.
Ledger-Enquirer files include a report that Deputy Glisson and another deputy were suspended in October 1991, following a complaint of excessive violence. After an investigation into the allegations brought by the husband arrested in September 1991, following a domestic violence incident, Sheriff Gene Hodge ordered Glisson suspended for a week without pay for failure to file a thorough report of the incident. The other deputy was suspended without pay for three days.
That incident did not involve a firearm. It followed a complaint filed by the arrested man's attorney alleging his client was hit in the head and face, and his head was slammed against the patrol car. The investigation found no proof that the force used was excessive, Hodge reported.
Community reaction
Local NAACP President Edward DuBose said Friday Johnson should have fired Glisson immediately, based on information available to him within the first 24 hours of the shooting.
Citing a source he refused to name, DuBose said, "The officer should not be on administrative leave with pay, considering the information the sheriff has in his possession."
"I defy Sheriff Johnson to state publicly that he did not have information that this officer intentionally shot Mr. Walker," said DuBose, promising to reveal his source next week.
National Action Network state chairman Antonio Carter said the information disclosed Friday by the sheriff did not change the fact that an unarmed man was shot to death by a deputy, and no drugs or weapons were recovered from the vehicle or its occupants.
"If they believed someone in the vehicle was carrying weapons or drugs, there's a process and procedure in how you carry out a felony stop of a vehicle," Carter said. "If they felt their lives were in danger, they should have taken them out of the vehicle one by one."
Reached at his Capitol office Friday night, state Rep. Calvin Smyre called Johnson's disclosures today "a step in the right direction."
"It cleared up a lot of things for me," Smyre said. "But at the same time, it doesn't get to the heart of what we're after -- and that's the findings."
Smyre said he hoped that once the GBI's findings were released to the District Attorney's office, the videotape of the incident will be released.
"You see incidents all over America -- you see someone coming before a microphone giving updates on the status of an investigation, and for us not to reveal any type of information -- that will not work," said the Columbus lawmaker.
The Rev. William Howell, president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Columbus, said Johnson's delay in releasing information has damaged the community and his political future.
"He has eroded the trust and safety of the citizens of the community and has called into question his credibility and ability to function as a top law enforcement officer," Howell said. "And for this, he shall pay at the ballot box."
WonderNine
member
It sounds like from the article that everyone was outside of the vehicle and on the ground.
TallPine
Member
This incident sounds more and more like the one where an FBI agent shot a young man in the face, after stopping the wrong car.
Wasn't that also with an MP5 ?????
Wasn't that also with an MP5 ?????
"Of particular interest to this gun board, it has been established that the deputy used an H&K MP-5, which was set on burst or full auto mode at the time of the traffic stop ."
Similar incident in Downey, CA a few years back....a drunk was hit with 30rds from a mp5 on auto for not keeping his hands up....he was drunk and could barely standup.
Gonzalo Martinez's encounter with police also was captured on videotape. It ended in a hail of gunfire as police fired with handguns and a machine gun, killing Martinez, 26, and spraying shots through a residential neighborhood. Martinez, who was unarmed, had led police on a chase and was shot as he emerged from his car.
The images of Martinez's death, captured in a grisly videotape that shows the barrage of gunfire and then Martinez's convulsing body, have sparked only selective outrage. For the last six months, the dead man's family has led protests outside Downey City Hall. Images of the shooting were shown in their native Argentina. The FBI and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office are investigating.
Police ordered Martinez out of the car. As he exited, he raised his right arm but made what in a coroner's report is referred to as a "furtive" movement with his left arm. The officers opened fire with a wide range of weapons.
One used an MP-5, a machine gun that is modified to shoot three-burst rounds. It has only been fired once before by Downey police. Another officer fired nonlethal beanbag rounds from a shotgun, according to the coroner's document.
"This was like a visit from gunslingers in the Old West—they were just shooting," said Steve Lerman, an attorney representing Martinez's parents in their lawsuit against the city. "It's not like this guy was running through an alley firing at the cops. They were way outside the scope of what would be justifiable."
As police fired, a freelance cameraman was recording the action. His tape does not show the entire incident but it does picture the concluding moments.
It first shows two officers pointing handguns at Martinez's crashed car, while the driver remains inside. More patrol cars roll up. Then Martinez emerges from the car, facing the officers, his right hand up. The left side of his body is obscured by the car door.
Almost instantly, at least 14 shots sound and Martinez crumples. The next day, the Martinez family visited the scene and counted 34 chalk circles investigators had left to mark shell casings.
Downey Video
Similar incident in Downey, CA a few years back....a drunk was hit with 30rds from a mp5 on auto for not keeping his hands up....he was drunk and could barely standup.
Gonzalo Martinez's encounter with police also was captured on videotape. It ended in a hail of gunfire as police fired with handguns and a machine gun, killing Martinez, 26, and spraying shots through a residential neighborhood. Martinez, who was unarmed, had led police on a chase and was shot as he emerged from his car.
The images of Martinez's death, captured in a grisly videotape that shows the barrage of gunfire and then Martinez's convulsing body, have sparked only selective outrage. For the last six months, the dead man's family has led protests outside Downey City Hall. Images of the shooting were shown in their native Argentina. The FBI and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office are investigating.
Police ordered Martinez out of the car. As he exited, he raised his right arm but made what in a coroner's report is referred to as a "furtive" movement with his left arm. The officers opened fire with a wide range of weapons.
One used an MP-5, a machine gun that is modified to shoot three-burst rounds. It has only been fired once before by Downey police. Another officer fired nonlethal beanbag rounds from a shotgun, according to the coroner's document.
"This was like a visit from gunslingers in the Old West—they were just shooting," said Steve Lerman, an attorney representing Martinez's parents in their lawsuit against the city. "It's not like this guy was running through an alley firing at the cops. They were way outside the scope of what would be justifiable."
As police fired, a freelance cameraman was recording the action. His tape does not show the entire incident but it does picture the concluding moments.
It first shows two officers pointing handguns at Martinez's crashed car, while the driver remains inside. More patrol cars roll up. Then Martinez emerges from the car, facing the officers, his right hand up. The left side of his body is obscured by the car door.
Almost instantly, at least 14 shots sound and Martinez crumples. The next day, the Martinez family visited the scene and counted 34 chalk circles investigators had left to mark shell casings.
Downey Video
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