People rallied in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse on Wednesday night determined to keep a spotlight on a police officer’s killing of a man after he called 911 for help.
They want answers about whether a police officer will be held accountable for killing Kevin Davis, 44. Davis was shot moments after the responding officer killed his dog on Dec. 29.
“He loved to cook, he loved his dog and he loved his family,” said his sister Delisa Davis. “He was a law-abiding citizen.”
She said the family is meeting Thursday with GBI agents investigating the shooting. DeKalb Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander requested an outside investigation at the family’s wishes despite DeKalb police clearing the officer to resume his duties.
“There are so many unanswered questions we have,” Delisa Davis said. “We deserve to know what happened.”
On Wednesday, about 60 people rallied in front of the courthouse about the case and a number erected tents to be there Thursday morning to continue the protest.
“Tonight is a continued direct action from last week,” protester Aurielle Marie explained to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.“We are doing continuous direct actions in response to the murder of Kevin Davis.”
The case, which all sides call a tragedy, began when DeKalb Officer Joseph Pitts shot Davis at his apartment after responding to a 911 call from Davis about an attack on his girlfriend.
When Pitts entered the apartment, he said he was attacked by Davis’ dog and killed it. According to Pitts, Davis then appeared with a gun at his side demanding to know why the officer shot his dog.
Pitts contends he told Davis to drop the gun, but Davis instead kept protesting the killing of the dog. Pitt said he feared for his life, so he shot Davis three times, Alexander said last week.
Alexander never contended that Davis pointed his gun at Pitts but said the killing still appeared justified.
The family says even the facts provided by police make the shooting "murder." And the family's lawyer, Mawuli Davis, also said neighboring witnesses — as well as Davis' 37-year-old girlfriend — tell a dramaticly different account than the one offered by Pitts.
That version contends Pitts didn’t announce “Police” when he entered the apartment and didn’t repeatedly tell Kevin Davis to drop the gun, which he was holding at his side while confronting the officer.
Davis, who had no history of trouble with the law, picked up the gun after hearing the shots and seeing the bleeding dog run back to the bedroom. He believed the man who had attacked his girlfriend had returned, both family members and Alexander agree.
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