Drug raid cops shoot 92-year-old woman, face murder charges (Merged)[Updated 4/29/07]

fruitfly

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Informant denies buying drugs at elderly Atlantan's home
November 28, 2006

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An informant cited in a search warrant as having purchased narcotics at an elderly Atlanta woman's house denies buying drugs there, authorities say.

Undercover officers raiding the 88-year-old woman's house shot her to death last week after she fired on them while they broke down her door in a high-crime neighborhood.

Federal prosecutors will investigate the case, Atlanta police Chief Richard Pennington announced Monday.

Pennington said the eight-member narcotics squad that took part in the raid has been placed on paid leave while investigators look into the informant's story and the circumstances surrounding the November 21 death of Kathryn Johnston.

The informant also told investigators from the Atlanta police internal affairs bureau that he was told to lie about the matter, the chief said.

"The FBI will investigate his statements, along with the police officers' statements as well," Pennington said.

Authorities said Johnston opened fire on police who tried to enter her home, prying off burglar bars and forcing open her door, during a "no-knock" drug raid. Officers returned fire, killing her.

Relatives put Johnston's age at 92, but Fulton County medical examiners said she was 88.

Neighbors and relatives said the raid had to have been a mistake. They said Johnston lived alone and was so afraid of crime in her neighborhood west of downtown Atlanta that she wouldn't let neighbors who delivered groceries for her come into her home.

Atlanta police reviews 'no-knock' policy

In an affidavit used to obtain the search warrant, narcotics officers said an informant had purchased two bags of crack cocaine from a man identified only as "Sam" in the home earlier that day.

Pennington said he called in federal prosecutors and the FBI after internal affairs investigators questioned the informant during the weekend.

"After we brought the informant in and interviewed that informant, he told us that he had no knowledge of going into that house to purchase drugs," he said. "That's what he told us. I don't know if he went in or not. We don't know if he's telling the truth."

In an interview with Atlanta's WAGA-TV, the informant said he had never been to Johnston's house.

"I'm telling them, I never went to the house," the informant told the station. "The police can't say I ever went to the house."

The informant then said police called him and told him "you need to cover our ass."

"It's all on you -- have to tell them about this Sam dude," the informant said police told him.

Pennington said the man was being "put away in a secure place" until the FBI could question him. The chief also promised to make "every document, every witness and piece of evidence" available to investigators.

Meanwhile, the seven narcotics officers and a sergeant were put on administrative leave with pay, and the department is reviewing its use of "no-knock" raids after the shootout, he said. The warrants are common in narcotics cases when officers fear suspects may try to dispose of drugs or evidence in the time it takes authorities to gain access to the home.

In addition to the FBI and Justice Department, the Fulton County district attorney's office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are taking part in the probe.

Pennington made his reputation cleaning up a corrupt New Orleans, Louisiana, Police Department in the 1990s. He said the "intense speculation and suspicion" surrounding Johnston's death spurred him to call in outside agencies.

"There are many unanswered questions. I promise each and every citizen that the complete truth will be eventually known, whatever that might be," he said. "But we must all exercise patience while we examine and re-examine every single aspect of these tragic events."

A spokesman for Johnston's family, the Rev. Markel Hutchins, went to Washington to request a federal investigation Monday. Hutchins said he had received assurances that agents would conduct a "swift and thorough" investigation into the woman's death.

Hutchins said the three midlevel officials with whom he met also promised "all resources at our disposal" to help counter the fallout in the African-American community from the shooting. He said he urged Justice Department officials to press for strong federal guidance to local police departments against the use of no-knock warrants.

Link
 
The fact that it was a no-knock warrant explains everything.

If I was elderly living in a highcrime neighbourhood and someone began breaking into my house unannounced you can bet I'd fire on them. Honestly I loathe the no-knock warrant policy. How can anyone tell if it's the police or a thief if they enter unannounced?
 
^exactly

if they're afraid people will get rid of the drugs in the time it takes to answer a knock on the door, why the hell are they bothering with that small of a stash? 8 agents to bust a house that supposedly sold 2 bags of crack? fucked up
 
wizekrak said:
The fact that it was a no-knock warrant explains everything.

If I was elderly living in a highcrime neighbourhood and someone began breaking into my house unannounced you can bet I'd fire on them. Honestly I loathe the no-knock warrant policy. How can anyone tell if it's the police or a thief if they enter unannounced?

Exactly what I thought. The fact that the police officers that raided the house were undercover makes it even worst. They werent even in uniform! Poor old woman probably thought she was being robbed.
 
rocklobster said:
Every 88-year-old grandma I know carries heat at all times in their homes.
Apperently the woman was given the gun, because it was a rough area and recently another elderly woman was raped in the area.
 
How wonderful that the Atlanta PD has a "No Knock Just Shoot The Bitch" policy.
 
funks_hybrid said:
if they're afraid people will get rid of the drugs in the time it takes to answer a knock on the door, why the hell are they bothering with that small of a stash? 8 agents to bust a house that supposedly sold 2 bags of crack? fucked up


Perfect point, for probably less than $50 worth of drugs, and intelligence supposedly gotten from an informant who could be any old crakhead just trying to benefit himself in some way that somebody who might be named "Sam" might be there, officers put their own lives in danger and violently ended the life of an elderly women.

If the cops had come uniformed and announced who they were and why they were coming in would the old women have still decided to open fire? Who knows, but very likely she wouldn't have. Doesn't the government realize this is just plain stupid. Aside from being bad policy, just plain stupid.
 
OPINION: No Excuse If No-Knock Warrant Makes Sense
When Police Burst In Without Merit, Tragedy Ensues

By Maureen Downey, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
November 28, 2006

Faced with troubling new allegations in the shooting of 88-year-old Kathryn Johnston by three of his officers, Atlanta police Chief Richard Pennington has wisely asked the FBI, assisted by the GBI, the Fulton County district attorney and the U.S. Justice Department, to take over the investigation.

The Atlanta police version of events has changed in disturbing ways. First, the department claimed that an undercover officer had bought drugs at Johnston's house earlier in the day, establishing grounds for a search warrant. Later, police said that an informant had actually made the drug buy. Now that alleged informant, under wraps awaiting an FBI interview, apparently disputes that story, saying that he never purchased any drugs at Johnston's home and that police asked him to lie to cover up their deadly error.

Given the controversy and the conflicting details, Pennington's decision to bring in an independent review team was appropriate and necessary if the police department hopes to reclaim any public confidence. In fact, an outside investigation should be standard in any police shooting of a civilian.

Pennington also pledged to review the force's use of no-knock warrants. Those warrants allow police offers to dispense with the standard practice of knocking, declaring their identity and purpose, demanding entry and then resorting to force only if entry is denied.

Those steps are more than mere niceties --- they protect residents as well as officers who might otherwise be shot by civilians, as the Johnston tragedy demonstrates.

According to neighbors, a frightened Johnston lived behind locked doors and burglar bars in her one-story brick home near the Georgia Dome. She went to bed at dark and rarely let people into her home because of her fear of crime. It is not hard to understand why a woman living alone in those circumstances would have grabbed an old revolver and begun firing when three men burst through the door after dark. Five of her shots struck the officers, who then fired back.

Under the circumstances --- being fired upon while serving a warrant --- the decision of the officers to fire back may have been justified. The real issue is whether they had justification to invade Johnston's home in the first place.

The only time police officers should smash their way into a home without giving notice to its occupants is when they have compelling reason to believe that announcing themselves would jeopardize their lives or their investigation. At the very least, officers should conduct sufficient preliminary investigations to know who lives in the house and who is likely to be present before they crash through a door.

Before narcotics agents went to Johnston's home last week, did they ascertain who lived there? Considering it was two days before Thanksgiving, did they establish whether visiting children or other family members were in the home? Did they lean on an informant to lie on their behalf?

If the informant never fingered Johnston's house as a drug source, how did police end up there? What evidence did police have that the drug quantities involved were significant enough to call for forced entry?

Based on what is known so far, it's hard to argue that Johnston was at fault. She was not the professional trained to investigate a situation before taking any action that could endanger innocent people. She had no information to alert her to what was really happening in her home that night.

Unfortunately, it appears that the APD didn't either.

Link
 
na this is bullshit, the lady had a son or grandson who dealt drugs outta the house(this is the story going around on the streets) and there had been previous drug-robberies in the same area in recent weeks(no shit, right?).

she knew of the dealing, and certainly didnt approve.

i can understand HAVING a gun, but why did she have a revolver on her person??

certainly an 88 year old lady dont carry heat around everywehre they go unless they are expecting problems(ie. her son/grandson stole someones crack or got in debt).

thats the real story as its logical and is what is being said in the community.

yes she was a nice lady and was NOT the drug dealer the police were looking for, but she shot first?!? in LEO, i have never ever heard of a policy saying that u cant use deadly force if the person is over a certain age.
just because she was 88 doesnt make it OK. SHE HIT THE COPS WITH 5 BULLETS.

you are telling me you wouldnt have shot back?

fuck all this bullshit.

for once in my life, im siding with law enforcement.

even if they DID get the wrong house, what did they have to gain by killing this lady? bad intelligence doesnt mean its wrong to use deadly force once you have been shot 5 FUCKING TIMES.
 
ktx49 said:
na this is bullshit, the lady had a son or grandson who dealt drugs outta the house(this is the story going around on the streets) and there had been previous drug-robberies in the same area in recent weeks(no shit, right?).

she knew of the dealing, and certainly didnt approve.

i can understand HAVING a gun, but why did she have a revolver on her person??

certainly an 88 year old lady dont carry heat around everywehre they go unless they are expecting problems(ie. her son/grandson stole someones crack or got in debt).

thats the real story as its logical and is what is being said in the community.

yes she was a nice lady and was NOT the drug dealer the police were looking for, but she shot first?!? in LEO, i have never ever heard of a policy saying that u cant use deadly force if the person is over a certain age.
just because she was 88 doesnt make it OK. SHE HIT THE COPS WITH 5 BULLETS.

you are telling me you wouldnt have shot back?

fuck all this bullshit.

for once in my life, im siding with law enforcement.

even if they DID get the wrong house, what did they have to gain by killing this lady? bad intelligence doesnt mean its wrong to use deadly force once you have been shot 5 FUCKING TIMES.


Of course it's reasonable for the LEO to fire back when being fired upon, but it's the policies and action that led to the situation. Given the circumstances I think that the elderly woman had every right to fire upon intruders in a crime filled neighborhood. How can you side with law enforcement that functions on such unreliable methods?
 
ktx49 said:
na this is bullshit, the lady had a son or grandson who dealt drugs outta the house(this is the story going around on the streets) and there had been previous drug-robberies in the same area in recent weeks(no shit, right?).

she knew of the dealing, and certainly didnt approve.

i can understand HAVING a gun, but why did she have a revolver on her person??

certainly an 88 year old lady dont carry heat around everywehre they go unless they are expecting problems(ie. her son/grandson stole someones crack or got in debt).

thats the real story as its logical and is what is being said in the community.

yes she was a nice lady and was NOT the drug dealer the police were looking for, but she shot first?!? in LEO, i have never ever heard of a policy saying that u cant use deadly force if the person is over a certain age.
just because she was 88 doesnt make it OK. SHE HIT THE COPS WITH 5 BULLETS.

you are telling me you wouldnt have shot back?

fuck all this bullshit.

for once in my life, im siding with law enforcement.

even if they DID get the wrong house, what did they have to gain by killing this lady? bad intelligence doesnt mean its wrong to use deadly force once you have been shot 5 FUCKING TIMES.
My issues is not that they killed the woman because she shot at them, but the fact that they entered the residence, and how they did so. No-Knock Search warrants are bad.

The cops are in the wrong for creating the situation.
 
she shot first.

and just cause they didnt identify themselves as police right away doesnt mean she has the right to shoot someone; this isnt texas ya know.

basically she shot first and not in true self defense if this goes to court.

maybe in texas, but GA is fairly liberal. u cant just shot someone on your property.

also if this goes to court, the cops will all band together with a defense team and method in which they will claim they did in fact, verbally identify themselves as police before the shooting began...consider the fact that the only other witness is dead.

like i said im not sure of any law/policy where police are NOT allowed to fire in self-defense, identified our not.

if the victim had been a young black male, this wouldnt have even made the local news.

this is bullshit, admit.

and im looking at this from a jury stand point too
 
Officers Could Face Murder Charges in Georgia Shootout

Wasn't there another thread about this when it happened? I'll see if I can dig it up.

By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press Writer


Prosecutors intend to seek murder charges against three Atlanta police officers involved in the shooting death of a 92-year-old woman in her home, according to a letter sent to an attorney for one of the officers.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard sent a letter that said he will ask a grand jury on Feb. 26 to deliver a murder indictment against officers Gregg Junnier, J.R. Smith and Arthur Tesler, said Rand Csehy, Junnier's attorney.

Kathryn Johnston died and three officers were wounded in the Nov. 21 shootout when police used a no-knock warrant to search for drugs in Johnston's northwest Atlanta home.

When officers entered her home without first announcing their presence, police say Johnston fired a handgun and officers returned fire, killing her. An autopsy concluded she was shot five or six times.

Narcotics officers said an informant had claimed there was cocaine in the home, but none was found.

A copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press said that prosecutors would ask the grand jury to indict Junnier on charges of felony murder, as well as counts of violation of oath, burglary, criminal solicitation, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

"I expect an acquittal across the board," Csehy said. "I don't think there's any evidence supporting any of these charges."

A spokeswoman for Howard declined to comment on the letter.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Patrick Crosby, said his office and the FBI have not been contacted by Howard's office "regarding the issuance of such notices."

John Garland, an attorney for Smith, declined to comment on the letter, while William McKenney, an attorney for Tesler, did not immediately return several calls to his office seeking comment.

Junnier, 40, was hit in the leg, the face and his bulletproof vest in the shootout. Two other officers also suffered bullet wounds, one in the leg and one in the arm.

The shooting has brought renewed scrutiny to the police use of no-knock warrants, with which officers are allowed to raid homes where criminal activity is suspected without first announcing their presence.



http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=34809&siteSection=1
 
Too bad more people don't run inside narcotics officer's homes and shoot them without knocking.
 
They should have saw this coming! Either it was, "forget knocking - let's just bust her!", or they honestly forgot to knock. I figure it's the first one, but either way a life was lost due to this.

SteeleyJ said:
A copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press said that prosecutors would ask the grand jury to indict Junnier on charges of felony murder, as well as counts of violation of oath, burglary, criminal solicitation, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

That's what they get for there actions I guess...
 
thats why i despise cops they go on the bigest fuckin ego trips and theres almost no limit' ie " cops turuning on their lights when they are about to run a red light", saw that sit the other day and after he ran it he turned off his lights.. fuckin pigs
 
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