ATLANTA (AP) - A police official said narcotics officers were justified in returning fire on a 92-year-old woman they shot to death after she shot them as they tried to serve a warrant at her house.
Neighbors and relatives said it was a case of mistaken identity. But police said the woman, identified as Kathryn Johnston, was the only resident in the house at the time and had lived there for about 17 years.
Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant and "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in shooting once they were fired upon.
As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., a woman inside started shooting, striking each of them, said Officer Joe Cobb, a police spokesman.
One was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder. The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all three were conscious and alert, police said.
Sarah Dozier, identified as a niece of the woman, told WAGA-TV that there were never any drugs at the house.
"My aunt was in good health. I'm sure she panicked when they kicked that door down," Dozier said. "There was no reason they had to go in there and shoot her down like a dog."
Rev. Markel Hutchins, a civil rights leader, said Johnston's family deserves an apology.
"Of the police brutality cases we've had, this is the most egregious because of the woman's age," Hutchins said.
Hutchins said he would try to meet with Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington and would also meet with lawyers.
Fuck...I know there's a funny joke in there somewhere, but I'm too overwhelmed to come up with it right now.
Must have thought it was General Sherman coming through town again.
I'm all about the Constitution, and cops following it to the letter of the law, but last I checked, obtaining a search warrant was following "the letter of the law."
When the cops knock(which the old biddy may not have heard), it's usually a darn good idea to let them in, rather than dealing with the extra expense of getting a new front door installed to replace the big ball of air that's about to be taking up residence in the door frame.
And if it is in fact mistaken identity/wrong house, then the coming days may be a bettere time to point that out...like maybe in a courtroom, rather than getting all OK Corral up in your living room.
What does it say about the Atlanta SWAT team though? A 92 yo woman nailed 3 of them before they got a shot off and they went in thinking hostile environment, she was caught by surprise.
Ingse Bodil wrote:rich jews aren't the same as real jews, though, right?
Sounds liks all the pre warrant reasearch work was done.. like checking who comes and goes and lives there ??
There was an episode of COPS years ago, where this old lady heard some noise in the back yard and had this old rusty 32 revolver out on the back porch busting caps in the air and ground to scare the "prowler" off.
Cop came around the corner and about shit.
and rack Tom....and the Dead reset..
Derron
Screw_Michigan wrote: Democrats are the REAL racists.
Dinsdale wrote:I'm all about the Constitution, and cops following it to the letter of the law, but last I checked, obtaining a search warrant was following "the letter of the law."
When the cops knock(which the old biddy may not have heard), it's usually a darn good idea to let them in, rather than dealing with the extra expense of getting a new front door installed to replace the big ball of air that's about to be taking up residence in the door frame.
And if it is in fact mistaken identity/wrong house, then the coming days may be a bettere time to point that out...like maybe in a courtroom, rather than getting all OK Corral up in your living room.
Then again, maybe it might have been a good idea for the cops to be in uniform when they go on a raid.
That way it's kind of harder to not know they're cops
WacoFan wrote:Flying any airplane that you can hear the radio over the roaring radial engine is just ghey anyway.... Of course, Cirri are the Miata of airplanes..
