Judge grants immunity to man in DeKalb library shooting, citing self-defense
A man who was previously charged after a shooting inside a DeKalb County library had those charges dropped after a judge found he acted in self-dense and granted him immunity, officials announced Thursday.
Medicus Brown, 44, was first booked into the county jail Feb. 5, three days after the shooting. He was indicted in April, on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, court documents show.
By early May, Brown’s attorney, Kyle Obiora, filed a motion for immunity.
The district attorney’s office confirmed in a press release that it would not appeal the recent ruling nor seek additional charges.
“Our decision reflects our commitment to justice, fairness, and transparency. Accordingly, based on the evidence and our findings, the case against Brown is now closed,” district attorney’s office spokesperson Claire Chaffins said in a press release.
A hearing on the immunity motion was held Aug. 6. Chaffins said the defense called on five witnesses: the librarian on duty; a library security guard; a library patron; an officer with Decatur police; and a woman who was driving by the library and witnessed an altercation between Brown and the victim.
According to the DA’s office, all the witnesses presented evidence in support of Brown’s self-defense claim and testified that he appeared to be in “imminent danger of receiving a serious injury or death.”
The evidence pointed toward Brown and the victim being involved in an ongoing dispute throughout the day on Feb. 2, which eventually led to the incident inside the library, Chaffins said.
The woman driving past the library told the court she saw the victim throw a cinder block at Brown. The librarian, library security guard and library patron all testified the victim had Brown in a chokehold just before the gunfire, according to Chaffins.
Superior Court Chief Judge Shondeana Morris signed the order granting immunity on Aug. 7.
“This shooting was tragic and we recognize its impact on the victim and the community at large,” Chaffins said.
The shooting happened around 5 p.m. on Feb. 2, when more than 40 people were inside the Sycamore Street library and the two men got into a fight in an upstairs computer area, Decatur police previously said. One bystander locked herself in a study room after hearing up to five shots inside the building, according to a 911 call.
Decatur police spokesperson Lt. John Bender said at the time that he had never seen a shooting inside the library.