A man who was shot five times by a Fulton County police officer outside an apartment complex has pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with an altercation that occurred before the shooting, his lawyer said in a statement.
Jeantique Oriol faces battery, attempted robbery and obstruction charges stemming from an April 6 incident. Police say he attacked a man who stayed at the Panther Riverside Parc apartment complex, ignored officers' commands and refused to drop his weapon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Cops eventually opened fire on Oriol, an off-Broadway actor who attended Morehouse College, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. Oriol's lawyer, Gerald Griggs, said his client was unarmed and that he was sitting in a car speaking to someone when police pulled a gun on him.
“He has undergone multiple surgeries, spent over two weeks in intensive care and more than two months in a wheelchair,” Griggs said in a release. “His difficult path to recovery continues as he valiantly works with doctors and physical therapists to regain his health and mobility.”
It is not known if the officer, whose name has not been released, was placed on administrative leave during the GBI’s investigation. Efforts to reach Fulton County police for comment were unsuccessful.
Griggs said his client has cooperated with police, even submitting to an interview with the GBI and surrendering to authorities June 7. He was released on bond that same day.
The GBI investigated the case and turned it over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, spokesman Bahan Rich told The AJC in an email. The GBI has investigated 61 officer-involved shootings this year. In 2016, it investigated 78 cases.
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