DEL.ICIO.USThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/27/08
Here's a chronology of events in DeKalb County fatal police shootings.
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Sept. 12, 2006: DeKalb County police shoot and kill a fleeing robbery suspect who turns out to be unarmed. It is the ninth fatal shooting of the year — and the sixth in six weeks — by DeKalb officers. Some community activists begin expressing concern, and police chief Nick Marinelli says a review is under way.
Nov. 1, 2006: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the county police department's internal reviews of fatal shootings from 2001 to 2005 listed repeated violations of polices regarding shooting into cars, getting adequate backup and handling suspects in custody. The patterns of policy violations had not been detected or addressed by the police department.
Nov. 3, 2006: Relatives of slain suspects and activists demonstrate outside police headquarters, the first in a series of protests.
Nov. 13, 2006: A DeKalb police officer shoots and kills a woman whom officers said charged them with a knife. It is the 12th and final suspect of the year killed by DeKalb officers; one of the slain suspects also killed an officer. The 12 slain suspects for 2006 is by far the highest total among metro Atlanta police departments and higher than in many bigger jurisdictions around the country.
Nov. 19, 2006: The AJC reports that, except for a sporadically used review board in Atlanta, metro residents have no formal role in overseeing major police agencies. In other parts of the country, a small but increasing number of communities use professional investigators to monitor police operations. (On Nov. 21, 2006, Atlanta police using a fraudulently obtained warrant shoot and kill 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in her home. That incident spurs the creation of a civilian review board by the Atlanta City Council.)
Nov. 20, 2006: Nick Marinelli, then the interim chief of DeKalb police, refers to the district attorney's office results of internal investigations of all 12 fatal shootings by his officers in 2006 "to remove any shadow of a doubt." The next day, District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming says she will seek a special grand jury to review those shootings and other DeKalb cases as well as use of force policies and training.
Jan. 16, 2007: The AJC reports that reviews of fatal confrontations with police officers by the DeKalb district attorney's office often relied heavily on the police department's own fact-finding. Half of the records of reviews conducted by previous district attorneys are missing.
Jan. 24, 2007: New DeKalb police Chief Terrell Bolton announces that monitors from state and federal law enforcement agencies would go to the scene of all future shootings of suspects by DeKalb officers. The monitors would not write reports but would immediately alert the police commander on the scene if they see anything "out of order, " Bolton said.
March 5, 2007: The AJC reports four suspects and one officer were killed during foot chases involving DeKalb County police since 2001. Some experts argue that foot pursuits should be strictly limited because they carry a high risk of police shootings, but no major metro Atlanta jurisdiction limits such chases.
March 9, 2007: DeKalb Superior Court judges give Keyes Fleming permission to convene a special grand jury.
April 24, 2007: The special grand jury begins meeting.
May 16, 2007: In the only fatal shooting by DeKalb police in 2007, officers kill a man who had been wandering a street holding a Bible and a butcher kinfe. Police say four officers tried to use pepper spray and batons to subdue the man, but he was shot when he lunged at an officer.
July 23, 2007: The AJC reports that the last fatal shooting of 2006 and the single 2007 fatal shooting by DeKalb police followed a scenario in which officers might have tried using a Taser stun gun had one been available. DeKalb police have not used Tasers since 2005 because of concerns about their safety. The ban remains in effect, but police chief Bolton unsuccessfully sought funds for Tasers in the 2008 county budget.
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