A 35-year-old man shot by police last month in downtown Savannah when he allegedly brandished a handgun at two off-duty officers died Tuesday, becoming the 14th person killed by law enforcement in Georgia this year, according to the GBI.
Robert Gadson was critically injured when he was shot March 26 outside a bar, the GBI said. Gadson had been involved in a dispute with a bouncer around 3 a.m. when he pulled a gun, according to the state agency. Two off-duty Savannah police officers were working security next door and responded to the incident. They told Gadson to drop his gun, but instead he pointed his weapon at them, leading one of the officers to fire, the GBI said.
Gadson suffered a serious gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital, but died there several days later, the GBI said.
Through the first quarter of 2022, the GBI has investigated 34 officer-involved shootings, significantly outstripping the pace of such incidents in 2021. Last year, 19 people had been shot by police in Georgia by the first of April.
The number of shootings in the first three months does not necessarily indicate a year-long trend. After 2021 started with so few officer-involved shootings, the pace soon accelerated and the annual total reached 100.
The increase this year cannot be credited to the city of Atlanta, where 2022 has seen an overall drop in crime. The GBI has investigated only three shootings involving Atlanta police officers this year and one involving an Atlanta Public Schools police officer. In the wider metro area, Acworth, Newnan and Lawrenceville, along with DeKalb, Cherokee and Clayton counties, are the only jurisdictions to record officer-involved shootings, with one each.
The oldest person involved in a police shooting this year was 68-year-old Charles Calhoun, who was killed March 23 in Clayton after he pointed a gun at responding officers, according to the GBI. He is the oldest person involved in such a shooting since at least January 2020.
At least seven teenagers have been involved in police shootings this year, but none were killed, according to the GBI’s data. The youngest is a 16-year-old who was not identified because he is a minor. He and two 17-year-olds were injured when they exchanged gunfire with a Columbus police officer who was pursuing them as they drove a stolen car, the GBI said. All three teens suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are facing multiple charges.
