Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Avondale Estates cop who shot unarmed man promoted to chief

By Christian Boone
July 28, 2016

The Avondale Estates police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man following a high-speed chase in 2013 has been promoted to chief.

A civil grand jury recommended Sgt. Lynn Thomas be indicted for the death of 20-year-old Jayvis Benjamin, a suspected car thief. But after a lengthy investigation, DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James decided against prosecuting the veteran officer, concluding Benjamin was the aggressor and deadly force was justified.

“We clearly have a scenario here where the officer is defending himself,” James told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in March. “He did not want to fight Jayvis Benjamin.”

James said his prosecutors failed to properly inform the civil grand jury about use-of-force guidelines. Also, Thomas declined to testify.

A press release from Avondale Estates stated Thomas, who joined the department in 2002, “has worked tirelessly to help make the city a safe and secure place for residents and the community.”

A more complete story will be posted later on myajc.com.

About the Author

A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.

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