SAVANNAH – The man shot and killed on Thursday by the Savannah police officer who had just arrested him had an extensive criminal record, including violent felony and firearms offenses, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday.
In addition, Charles Smith, 29, was a self-described “runner” who often evaded police in his neighborhood, his sister said.
“He was an adrenaline junkie. He rode police up and down this very street,” said Katherine Smith, 28, who was interviewed on Augusta Avenue one block from where her brother was killed. “They couldn’t catch him. It was a back and forth. It wasn’t the smart thing to do but that’s how it was.”
Police claim that Smith was trying to run again on Thursday morning after he was arrested, handcuffed and placed in a patrol car. Authorities said he kicked out the window of the car and was trying to flee when he was shot by Officer David Jannot, who asserted that Smith had a gun as he tried to make his escape.
Jannot, on the force for 10 years, has been placed on administrative leave with pay and has made no public comment.
People who live in Smith’s neighborhood in West Savannah described Jannot as an aggressive police officer who often stopped them for little reason.
“He bothered people all day long, I couldn’t even walk to the store,” said Shakeise Jordan, 33, a hair stylist. “He’d ask me if I had my ID. He wouldn’t stop until I got my Dad, he’s a minister.”
Another resident, Melissa Green, said Jannot “harassed me every day. He pulled me over because I had an out of state dealer’s tag. I was pulled over 15 times in a month. Each time, he had to see my license, registration and insurance card.”
A police spokesman did not return six calls to his office on Saturday. A woman who answered the phone at Jannot’s residence Saturday said, “No comment.”
Neither the GBI, which is handling the investigation of the shooting, nor the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police has explained how Smith could have been carrying a gun after they took him into custody, cuffed his hands behind his back and put in the patrol car. Nor have they disclosed the weapon’s make or caliber. Nor have they said how many times Smith was shot, from what distance or where on his body the bullets struck. They also have not released the results of the autopsy performed on Smith’s body on Friday.
Smith’s criminal history shows that he was in and out of prison 11 times during the past decade. His convictions include aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, auto theft and theft by receiving, according to the Chatham County District Attorney Criminal Case Information file.
“While this young man was not the best,” said community activist the Rev. Leonard Smith, “he did not deserve to be shot and killed.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, groups of people have congregated and marched on Augusta Avenue. The site of the shooting has been converted into a stuffed-animal memorial.
Why Jannot arrested Smith Thursday, one month before the completion of his parole is a mystery, his mother Penny Nelson said. “The parole officer was at the house for his regular visit that day.”
When she asked the officer why Smith was in the patrol car the day he died, Nelson said, the state officer shrugged. “I want justice for my child.”
Based upon their previous encounters, Smith’s sister Katherine said, Smith was probably being chased for “driving without a license. It was a game for him. He was a daredevil, fearless. He liked the chase.”
On Thursday, he did not get away.
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