A former Department of Veterans employee was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury last week after allegedly attacking an elderly patient at an Atlanta VA clinic in April.
Lawrence Gaillard Jr., a Rock Hill, South Carolina resident, is facing a six-count indictment with three counts of abuse of elder person, one count of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated assault strangulation and one count of aggravated assault. Fulton County DA Fani Willis told Channel 2 Action News Gaillard could be facing a minimum of 20 years in prison.
Phillip Webb, a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran, was seriously injured when he was hit after visiting the Fort McPherson VA Clinic and spent three days in the hospital with a head injury. Gaillard was working in the veteran advocacy department on April 28 when officials say he allegedly strangled Webb, threw him to the ground, stomped and kicked him in the head, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, Gaillard’s assault “seriously disfigured” Webb’s head. After the attack, Webb was evaluated by a doctor at the VA clinic before being taken in an ambulance to WellStar Atlanta Medical Center.
Gaillard was originally arrested on one count of felony assault and was booked into the Atlanta City Detention Center before being released on a $10,000 bond. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was handling the case at first but later dropped the charges against Gaillard and turned the case over to the Fulton County DA because of “jurisdictional issues.
Federal court records show Gaillard was fired May 23.
About the Author
