Post by shoreman on Nov 22, 2006 11:01:02 GMT -5
Questions surround fatal shooting of woman, 92
3 Atlanta officers wounded after breaking down her door to serve warrant
By JEFFRY SCOTT, S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/21/06
www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2006/11/21/1121copshot.html
There are more questions than answers this morning in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood where a 92-year-old woman was killed in a shootout with police on Tuesday night. Three officers were wounded in the shooting.
State Rep. "Able" Mable Thomas (D-Atlanta) on Wednesday called Kathryn Johnston's death "unfortunate" and said a number of upset neighbors and other residents called to say neither Johnston nor her Neal Street home were in any way connected to illegal drug activity, as police suggested.
Thomas said neighbors who have contacted her described Johnston as a "good neighbor" and "law abiding."
johnston, who lived alone, allegedly fired on three Atlanta narcotics officers who broke down her front door trying to serve a search warrant. The officers were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
"The community does not want to digest that there was a 92-year-old woman in that house and all of a sudden there's a confrontation with police and now she's dead," said Thomas, whose district includes the neighborhood where the shooting occurred. "A confrontation with police and a 92-year-old woman don't go together."
Police say they followed proper procedures. Thomas hopes they did, but added: "When you see a 92-year-old being the victim of circumstances like this, we know something is going wrong."
The Rev. Howard Beckham, head of the English Avenue Neighborhood Association, said he was shocked at the news of the shooting. The community where Johnston lived borders the English Avenue neighborhood. Beckham spent a lot of time in the area as pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, one block from Neal Street. johnston's street, he said, hasn't been considered a trouble spot in terms of drug activity.
"I'm just concerned as to why they would be knocking on a 92-year-old lady's door about drugs when there are so many other doors of houses they could have been knocking on that they are well aware of," Beckham said.
Atlanta police have not released additional details of the shooting. They have scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference.
Atlanta assistant police Chief Alan Dreher, in a news conference Tuesday night, said the warrant was served at the correct address. Police still have not released the woman's name.
Sarah C. Dozier identified the dead woman as her aunt, Kathryn Johnston.
Dozier said her aunt worried about crime in the neighborhood where she had lived for about 17 years, and might have thought the police were intruders.
"Every window in her home and every door on her home has burglar bars," said Dozier. "I talked to her the other day about a 72-year-old who was raped. I know she was just scared."
Dozier said her aunt was healthy and vigorous and lived alone. She said she talked to her aunt every day and was looking forward to her annual Thanksgiving dinner at her aunt's home.
Dreher, the assistant police chief, said that as far as he knew the narcotics officers did "everything by the book. They had a search warrant, they announced themselves and knocked first." He said he did not know what name was on the warrant. The woman was the only person in the home at the time, he said.
Dreher said the incident is still under investigation and "will be for days."
He declined to say how many shots were fired and what kind of gun the woman had. Dozier said her aunt owned a pistol and she had a permit. "I don't know what kind and it was rusty, but apparently it was working well," she said.
A neighbor, Yolanda Jackson, 42, said she was sitting on the front porch of her home on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard a block away when undercover narcotics officers, who were not in street uniforms, showed up around 7 p.m. to serve the warrant at Johnston's home, at 933 Neal St.
"I heard 'pow, pow, pow, pow,' " said Jackson. "A whole lot of gunfire, really fast." She estimated the number of shots at between 16 and 24. She said within five minutes, "about 20" police cars swarmed into the area.
A few minutes later, ambulances showed up and a helicopter was hovering over the neighborhood, which is an intown mix of dilapidated and well-kept homes, houses being refurbished and a few new infill houses.
By 8:15 p.m. police had Neal Street blocked off from the corner of Joseph Lowery as investigators went in and out of the home bringing out bags of evidence, according to neighbors, and TV news crews set up street shots.
The shooting came on the same day that the district attorney in neighboring DeKalb County announced she would ask for a grand jury to review police department investigations of 12 deadly police shootings there this year. Some of Johnston's neighbors made the connection.
"The same thing is happening here as is going on in DeKalb County," said neighbor Tony Torrance. "Police are shooting people. They aren't following procedure."
Atlanta police declined to say what they were searching for when they went to Johnston's home. Dozier said she plans to hire a lawyer to find out what really happened.
"As far as I'm concerned, they shot her down like a dog."
3 Atlanta officers wounded after breaking down her door to serve warrant
By JEFFRY SCOTT, S.A. REID
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/21/06
www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2006/11/21/1121copshot.html
There are more questions than answers this morning in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood where a 92-year-old woman was killed in a shootout with police on Tuesday night. Three officers were wounded in the shooting.
State Rep. "Able" Mable Thomas (D-Atlanta) on Wednesday called Kathryn Johnston's death "unfortunate" and said a number of upset neighbors and other residents called to say neither Johnston nor her Neal Street home were in any way connected to illegal drug activity, as police suggested.
Thomas said neighbors who have contacted her described Johnston as a "good neighbor" and "law abiding."
johnston, who lived alone, allegedly fired on three Atlanta narcotics officers who broke down her front door trying to serve a search warrant. The officers were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
"The community does not want to digest that there was a 92-year-old woman in that house and all of a sudden there's a confrontation with police and now she's dead," said Thomas, whose district includes the neighborhood where the shooting occurred. "A confrontation with police and a 92-year-old woman don't go together."
Police say they followed proper procedures. Thomas hopes they did, but added: "When you see a 92-year-old being the victim of circumstances like this, we know something is going wrong."
The Rev. Howard Beckham, head of the English Avenue Neighborhood Association, said he was shocked at the news of the shooting. The community where Johnston lived borders the English Avenue neighborhood. Beckham spent a lot of time in the area as pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, one block from Neal Street. johnston's street, he said, hasn't been considered a trouble spot in terms of drug activity.
"I'm just concerned as to why they would be knocking on a 92-year-old lady's door about drugs when there are so many other doors of houses they could have been knocking on that they are well aware of," Beckham said.
Atlanta police have not released additional details of the shooting. They have scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference.
Atlanta assistant police Chief Alan Dreher, in a news conference Tuesday night, said the warrant was served at the correct address. Police still have not released the woman's name.
Sarah C. Dozier identified the dead woman as her aunt, Kathryn Johnston.
Dozier said her aunt worried about crime in the neighborhood where she had lived for about 17 years, and might have thought the police were intruders.
"Every window in her home and every door on her home has burglar bars," said Dozier. "I talked to her the other day about a 72-year-old who was raped. I know she was just scared."
Dozier said her aunt was healthy and vigorous and lived alone. She said she talked to her aunt every day and was looking forward to her annual Thanksgiving dinner at her aunt's home.
Dreher, the assistant police chief, said that as far as he knew the narcotics officers did "everything by the book. They had a search warrant, they announced themselves and knocked first." He said he did not know what name was on the warrant. The woman was the only person in the home at the time, he said.
Dreher said the incident is still under investigation and "will be for days."
He declined to say how many shots were fired and what kind of gun the woman had. Dozier said her aunt owned a pistol and she had a permit. "I don't know what kind and it was rusty, but apparently it was working well," she said.
A neighbor, Yolanda Jackson, 42, said she was sitting on the front porch of her home on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard a block away when undercover narcotics officers, who were not in street uniforms, showed up around 7 p.m. to serve the warrant at Johnston's home, at 933 Neal St.
"I heard 'pow, pow, pow, pow,' " said Jackson. "A whole lot of gunfire, really fast." She estimated the number of shots at between 16 and 24. She said within five minutes, "about 20" police cars swarmed into the area.
A few minutes later, ambulances showed up and a helicopter was hovering over the neighborhood, which is an intown mix of dilapidated and well-kept homes, houses being refurbished and a few new infill houses.
By 8:15 p.m. police had Neal Street blocked off from the corner of Joseph Lowery as investigators went in and out of the home bringing out bags of evidence, according to neighbors, and TV news crews set up street shots.
The shooting came on the same day that the district attorney in neighboring DeKalb County announced she would ask for a grand jury to review police department investigations of 12 deadly police shootings there this year. Some of Johnston's neighbors made the connection.
"The same thing is happening here as is going on in DeKalb County," said neighbor Tony Torrance. "Police are shooting people. They aren't following procedure."
Atlanta police declined to say what they were searching for when they went to Johnston's home. Dozier said she plans to hire a lawyer to find out what really happened.
"As far as I'm concerned, they shot her down like a dog."