Caroline
McGehee Small Shooting, “What we didn’t know and why we are involved”. Justice for Caroline Small Group
It was not until we read a July 5, 2015 article by Atlanta Journal-Constitution by reporter Brad Schrade that we began to grasp the true circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Caroline Small. Like most people, we believe police officers are truthful. When initial press reports said that Caroline was shot and killed because she was attempting to run down two police officers, we believed the reports, although it seemed totally out of character with the Caroline Small we all knew.
However, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution article, and TV news reports by Channel 2 Action News
reporter Jodi Fleishcer, set out a compelling narrative of unjustified police
violence. We were stunned, and horrified. The information below is
our group’s summary of the critical facts revealed in the press reports. Much
of the information stated below is directly documented by a police dash cam
video of the shooting, and interviews with Georgia Bureau of Investigation
(GBI) agents and others.
In our opinion, the shooting was completely unjustified, and justice was not done by the investigations and grand jury proceedings that followed. We seek justice for Caroline Small.
Summary of Facts
The following facts are based on the dash cam video from a police car involved in the pursuit.
In our opinion, the shooting was completely unjustified, and justice was not done by the investigations and grand jury proceedings that followed. We seek justice for Caroline Small.
Summary of Facts
The following facts are based on the dash cam video from a police car involved in the pursuit.
·
The incident began with a “low-speed
chase,” not exceeding 35 mph for about 4 miles.
·
Caroline was obviously
disoriented. Her car weaved erratically from one side of the road to the
other.
·
A highway patrolman ran her car off
the road; the highway patrol car pinned Caroline’s car against a telephone pole
and fence.
·
A second police car (with the dash
cam) stopped directly in front of her vehicle, almost touching it.
·
Caroline shifted into reverse, then
pulled forward in an ineffectual attempt to escape. By that time all the
tires on the car were flat, and some were worn away completely.
·
A highway patrolman attempted to
help Caroline and can be heard to say “let me get her out of there” and runs
behind her automobile, but retreats when he sees two Glynn County police with
guns pointed at Caroline.
·
The officers, standing to the side,
out of view of the dash cam, repeatedly scream “get out the car” while sirens
blare. It is doubtful that Caroline could hear or understand them.
The dash cam and subsequent news photos clearly show that Caroline’s car was
trapped.
·
Caroline pulled forward, striking
the bumper of the parked police car. The officers immediately fire 8
shots through the windshield. The dash cam video shows that no officer is
in danger of being run over by Caroline’s car at the time shots were fired.
The officers’ behavior in the aftermath, also documented in the dish cam video, shows their callous disregard for Caroline’s life.
·
The police video shows that neither
officer checked to see if Caroline was still alive. One officer
stated: “I hit her right in the face … right on the bridge of the nose.”
·
A bystander, a former firefighter,
asked if he should render aid. An officer told him no, saying “she’s
dead. I shot her in the head. Her head exploded.”
·
Georgia Highway Patrol officers
rendered aid until medical personnel arrived. Caroline survived in a coma
for another five days before she was removed from life support.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) investigation of the shooting was impeded by the local police department.
·
The Glynn County police apparently
moved a vehicle to make the gap between police vehicles appear larger, and
produced a video that misrepresented the distance between parked police
vehicles to make it appear that Caroline could have run over the officers.
·
The GBI officer heading the
investigation of the shooting said, when interviewed, that he tried to give the
officers the benefit of the doubt, but “this is the worst one I ever
investigated.” He concluded the officers definitely should have been
prosecuted.
·
After this investigation the GBI
changed its procedures to insure that local police could not interfere in
future investigations because Glynn County police were so difficult to deal
with and uncooperative.
The District Attorney did not fully or fairly present the evidence to the Grand Jury.
·
The acting DA, who initially
considered the case, stated that the officers should be prosecuted. He
was soon replaced by the present DA, Jackie Johnson, who was appointed with the
recommendation of the police chief after she discussed the case with him.
·
The new DA asked the DA in
neighboring Waycross, GA to review the case. He advised her that the
officers should be prosecuted.
·
The police officers were present
during the grand jury proceeding, with their attorneys. Georgia law
allows police officers unique rights to be present, with lawyers, during the
grand jury deliberations and the right to make a sworn statement to the grand
jury.
·
However, the GBI agent who was
present as a witness stated that the DA allowed defense attorneys to
cross-examine witnesses and present evidence, and to effectively “take over”
the grand jury proceeding. The Grand Jury Handbook published by the
Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys Association states: “The accused has the
right to be present, with his or her attorney . . . but is not permitted to
cross examine the witnesses.”
·
The DA did not present a draft
indictment to the grand jury, telling one grand juror charges were “not
available.” Legal experts interviewed by the press agreed that the grand jury
process was deeply flawed.
·
Without any deliberations, the grand
jury voted 12-6 to clear the officers. One grand juror interviewed later
by the press stated “I think I voted the wrong way, we failed that lady, we
failed the process.”
Based on the above, and other facts set out in numerous press reports, we believe the Caroline Small shooting was not justified. Nor was it fully and fairly investigated by Glynn County authorities. On the contrary, there is compelling evidence to support:
·
a second
grand jury proceeding that complies with Georgia law
·
a federal
investigation of violations of Caroline Small’s civil rights during the
shooting, and afterward;
·
a federal
investigation of the Glynn County police department’s interference with
investigators; and
·
a review
of the actions and behaviors of the police officer(s) by the responsible agency
of the State of Georgia.
Sign the
petition.
Comments
This
looks like an “excessive force” case.
Disoriented drivers should have their cars “boxed in” and Officers
pulling them out of the car. Then the
Officers should call and have their relatives should pick them up and bring
another driver to drive the suspect’s car back home. The suspect should get a mark on their
license, not shot in the face and killed. The suspect should be responsible for
property damage costs they cause.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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