Police shooting death of Georgia mom draws national attention

The year before she was shot and killed by police, Caroline Small drew a bouquet of flowers for her mother. The drawing became the cover of the program for her memorial service July 9, 2010. SPECIAL

The year before she was shot and killed by police, Caroline Small drew a bouquet of flowers for her mother. The drawing became the cover of the program for her memorial service July 9, 2010. SPECIAL


Caroline Small's shooting death five years ago by police in coastal Georgia gained local attention, in part, because of a dramatic video showing police bullets tearing through her windshield.

But the story of what happened after her death and the legal process that cleared the officers had never been publicly revealed until an Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News investigation this month.

The investigation showed how local police in Glynn County interfered with the GBI’s 2010 criminal inquiry and created misleading evidence to show the grand jury. It also revealed the unusual way a local district attorney handled the case, including a deal cut with the two officers who shot into Small’s car.

The story has been picked up across social media and by other news outlets. One person who responded to the AJC's story was Karen McGehee, Small's mother. McGehee said she was thankful the the public is finally aware of what happened to her daughter, and how the case was handled by authorities.

McGehee sent the AJC a program from the 2010 memorial service held for Small. Pictured above, the cover includes a drawing Small created and gave to McGehee on Mother’s Day the year before she was shot by police.

It shows blooming flowers and is signed: “I love you, Caroline.”