Crime
Filmed in 1.6 seconds: Video raises questions about how soldier escaped charges in connection with black man’s death

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Julian Lewis didn’t stop to see a Georgia State Patrol cruiser flashing blue lights behind him on a rural highway. He still didn’t stop as he reached out the window and turned onto the dark dirt road because the soldier blared his siren.
Five minutes after a chase that began due to a broken taillight, a 60-year-old black man was dead – shot in the brow by a white soldier who fired a single bullet just seconds after forcing Lewis right into a ditch. Trooper Jake Thompson insisted he pull the trigger while Lewis revved the engine of his Nissan Sentra and jerked the steering wheel as if to mow him down.
“I had to shoot that man,” Thompson might be heard telling a supervisor in video captured on a dashboard camera on the shooting scene in rural Screven County, halfway between Savannah and Augusta. “And I’m just scared.”
But recent details of the investigation obtained by The Associated Press and never-before-seen dashcam video of the August 2020 shooting have raised recent questions about how the officer escaped prosecution with only a signed promise never to work in law enforcement again . Use-of-force experts who reviewed the footage for the AP said the shooting seemed to be unjustified.
The investigative file obtained by the AP provides probably the most detailed account of the case yet, including documents explaining why the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the 27-year-old soldier’s version of events didn’t match the evidence. For example, an inspection of Lewis’ automobile revealed that the accident had disconnected the vehicle’s battery and rendered it immobile.
Footage of the chase was never made public. It was first obtained by the authors of a brand new book on racial and economic inequality titled “Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Created the Black-White Wealth Gap.” Louise Story and Ebony Reed shared the video with the AP, which verified its authenticity and obtained additional documents under Georgia’s open records law.
The footage doesn’t include visuals of the particular shooting, which took place outside the camera’s field of view. However, it does show the important thing final moments in which Thompson performs a police maneuver to cause Lewis’ automobile to fall right into a ditch. The officer’s cruiser then pulls up parallel to Lewis’ vehicle and Thompson’s voice barks, “Hey, hands up!” Before he can finish his warning, a shot is heard.
Documents show Thompson fired just 1.6 seconds after the cruiser stopped.
“This guy just came out to shoot” and didn’t give Lewis “even enough time to react” to his orders, said Andrew Scott, a former police chief in Boca Raton, Florida, who wrote a dissertation on police chases.
“This goes beyond a stupid mistake,” added Charles “Joe” Key, a former Baltimore police lieutenant and use-of-force expert who has consulted on hundreds of such cases.
Key also disagreed with the maneuver to disable Lewis’ vehicle, saying it was also unjustified. He considered Thompson’s claim that he fired since the engine was revving at high speeds to be “total nonsense”.
“I’m not a fan of running from the police,” Key said. “But that doesn’t put him in the category of people deserving of being shot by the police.”
Thompson was fired and arrested on murder charges per week after the Aug. 7, 2020, shooting that occurred during summer protests following the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people. The soldier was denied bail and spent greater than 100 days in jail.
But in the tip, Thompson was released without trial. A 2021 state grand jury declined to bring an indictment. The district attorney overseeing the case closed it last fall when federal prosecutors also ruled out civil rights charges.
At the identical time, the U.S. Department of Justice quietly entered right into a non-prosecution agreement with Thompson, barring him from working in law enforcement again – a move that was extremely unusual and brought little comfort to Lewis’ family.
“It’s not good enough,” said Lewis’ son, Brook Bacon. “I thought that the shortcomings that occurred at the state level would be more closely scrutinized at the federal level, but that clearly isn’t the case.”
Featured Stories
The state of Georgia paid a $4.8 million settlement to Lewis’ family in 2022 to avoid the lawsuit.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, which reached a non-prosecution agreement with Thompson, declined to debate the matter, saying only that the Justice Department had communicated with the Lewis family “in accordance with the law and Justice Department policy.”
District Attorney Daphne Totten didn’t reply to requests for comment. Neither Thompson nor his attorney Keith Barber would discuss the case.
Because Georgia law doesn’t require troopers to make use of body cameras, dashcam footage is the one video of the shooting.
“This is a heartbreaking case that shines a light on the complexities and difficulties black families face in interacting with the justice system,” said Reed, a former AP journalist and one among the authors who first obtained the footage.
Lewis worked odd jobs as a carpenter and handyman. Relatives said he helped put a brand new roof and façade on a neighborhood church, and repaired the homes’ plumbing and electrical systems. He often charged family and friends only for the materials.
“He was just a good man with a kind heart,” said Tonia Moore, one among Lewis’ sisters. “Everyone has flaws”.
Lewis also struggled with drugs and alcohol. He served time in prison for cocaine possession and multiple DUI offenses. After the shooting, blood tests showed alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.
Thompson, who had been policing Georgia highways for six years before the shooting, was described in a performance review as “hardworking and aggressive.” Personnel records show that he was in charge of DUI arrests and preferred to work at night to extend his probabilities of catching impaired drivers.
Days after the shooting, Thompson told GBI investigators that he used a tactical maneuver to finish the pursuit – which he estimated had a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h) – out of concern that the pursuit was approaching a more populated area. It acted immediately after Lewis’ automobile rolled without stopping at an intersection with a stop sign.
Thompson said that when he got out of the patrol automobile next to Lewis’ automobile in the ditch, he heard the Nissan’s engine “revving at a high rate of speed.”
“It appeared to me that the perpetrator was trying to use his vehicle to hurt me,” Thompson said in an audio recording of the interview with the GBI obtained by the AP. He said he fired “out of fear for my life and safety.”
In the dashcam footage, a brief sound like a running engine might be heard just before Thompson shouted a warning and fired his shot. Less than two minutes later, the soldier might be heard saying, “Jesus Christ! He almost ran me over.
According to GBI case records, Thompson fired on the open driver’s side window of Lewis’ automobile, lower than 10 feet away.
Agents on the scene found that Lewis’ front tires were pointing away from the trooper’s cruiser. They also determined that Lewis’ automobile had no power after the Nissan hit the ditch. Lifting the hood, they found that the battery had fallen on its side after the attachment had been broken. One of the battery cables was loose and the engine air filter housing was partially open.
Investigators later conducted a field test of Lewis’ automobile, during which they connected the battery and began the engine. When the agent disconnected one among the battery cables, the automobile’s engine immediately stopped. Similarly, opening the air filter cover resulted in engine death.
Because grand jury proceedings are generally secret, it’s unknown why the panel declined to indict Thompson in June 2021. Georgia gives law enforcement officers the prospect to defend themselves before a grand jury, a privilege other defendants should not have.
Totten, the district attorney, selected to not retry, stating in a September 28 letter to the GBI that “no new evidence was presented in this case.”
For Bacon, Lewis’ son, the dearth of charges is an open wound. He worries that nobody will remember what happened, given nearly 4 years have passed and the variety of other people killed by police in questionable circumstances.
“It’s hard for someone to go back that far, especially if they haven’t heard about it to begin with,” he said. “But these problems haven’t gone away.”
Crime
17-year-old accused in Texas

Caramelo Anthony, a 17-year-old who was accused of a deadly stab on the Torah in Texas, was released on Bond.
On Monday afternoon, Anthony was released from $ 250,000 bonds after his lawyer successfully ran a campaign to cut back it from the unique $ 1 million throughout the interrogation in the bond, ABC News Partner Plate Reported.
Talking to reporters after the hearing, his defender, Mike Howard, said that the brand new bond was “honest”, despite his desire to lower it to $ 150,000.
“Bond, as the judge said, should not be an instrument of oppression, should not keep people in prison, he should not punish,” Howard said, adding this “large and significant” amount, “I think that the judge rightly imposed reasonable conditions that will ensure both Karmelo and Anthony, but also the security of the community.”
As a part of his release, per Fox 4Anthony will probably be limited to home custody on the Parents’ House by Kostki. The teenager may even need to search for a permit before leaving the home, namely for trips related to the case, and he is not going to have the opportunity to depart without an adult accompanying him. He was excluded from using social media and can’t contact the victim’s family. If he violates any of his conditions, he risk returning to prison.
His release from the Collin Function prison appears 13 days after arrest for the murder of Austin Metcalf on April 2 during a gathering on the track, which was combined by the competing boys’ teams. It is claimed that in rainy delay Anthony stabbed Metcalf, also 17, during a tense meeting between them. Anthony, who confessed to stab, still argued that he was lively in self -defense. He was accused of first -degree murder in reference to the incident.

The judge considered several aspects, including Anthony’s age, lack of criminal history and his connections with the community, which were visible in the courtroom throughout the trial. The Dallas Morning News He informed that Anthony’s father testified in court on behalf of the character of his son, noting that he was the captain of the team of each football and track teams in highschool, and that he has two jobs. Several people appeared to support Anthony, including a football coach and a manager from one in all his two works.
The side of the Court Metcalf, which Dallas Morning News noticed, was also full, embraced his mother, father and a number of other relations. When the judge issued her rule, Metcalf’s mother hung her head and cried. Anthony, who participated in the hearing in a yellow overalls and handcuffs, didn’t react in a dignified way.
The judge also considered the quantity. Although the fundraiser for Anthony collected almost $ 500,000, Anthony’s father said that his family had not received these funds yet. Failing in the case meant that the family tried to maneuver, which also charges their funds.
After interrogation, the District Prosecutor of Collin, Greg Willis, told journalists the priority of his office, including subsequent steps, including the review of the Police Investigation in Frisco and presenting the case of the Great Jury in order to find out whether Anthony will probably be accused and the trial.
“We are afraid that as prosecutors it is justice, truth and responsibility, so we will go where the facts lead us,” said Willis.

(Tagstransate) crime
Crime
Family of Texas Teen, accused of a deadly stab of another teenager on the track, collected over $ 150,000 via the online fundraiser

The collection of money for a teenager accused of a deadly stabbing of another teenager during a meeting at the Texas track last week has almost USD 200,000.
Launched by the family of Carmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old from Texas, who’s accused of stabbing Austin Metcalf, also 17, during an intensive meeting between them, Dajndo Fundraiser reached USD 160,000 from Monday morning.
According to Anthony’s lawyer, Deric Walpole, his client demands self -defense on this matter. Talking with NBC Dallas-Fort Worth On Friday, other than the prison, wherein Anthony was detained, Walpole said: “I know that my client said it was a self -defense. I have no reason not to believe it, but I have to develop facts, talk to people and find out what is happening before I made some statements about what I think.”
He added: “I have no reason to think that it was not a self -defense at the moment.”
On Wednesday, April 2, around 10 am local time, it’s claimed that Anthony stabbed Metcalf after Metcalf asked to depart a specific area during the rain delay at a sports event at the Kuykeyndall stadium in Frisco, in accordance with the NBC Dalls-Fort value. Anthony, a competitor in a competitive team, apparently sat under the tent of the Metcalf team to avoid rainfall when Metcalf asked him to depart. When Anthony didn’t follow Metcalf in order that he wouldn’t touch him, allegedly Metcalf caught Anthony’s arm, leaning Anthony, using a knife from a backpack to stab Metcalf in his chest from escaping.
Metcalf suffered a stinging wound in his heart and was recognized as deceased at the scene of the incident, despite the attempts to save lots of his twin brother.
“I put my hand on (his chest), tried to stop (bleeding), grabbed his head and looked into his eyes. I just saw his soul. And this also took my soul,” said Twin Hunter Metcalfa Fox News.

Anthony was arrested and accused of killing the first degree, and is currently being detained in the Collin County prison for a bond of USD 1,000,000, which his lawyer is trying to cut back. He hopes to interrogate bonds this week.
Teenager Apparently he said the police“It is not alleged, I did it” that he was lively in self -defense and asked if Metcalf can be tremendous. Anthony’s father said The New York Post That his son was “provoked”.
“He was not an aggressor. He was not the one who started him,” said Andrew Anthony, adding: “Everyone has already adopted their assumptions about my son, but he is not what they make him.”
He explained that his son was a “good child” who works two works and maintains 3.7 GPs.
“I feel sorry for other parents and family, and words cannot explain how both (families) affected this tragedy,” he noted.
The online collection of money causes “false” narratives circulating after the consequence.
“The widespread narrative is false, unfair and harmful. As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all your support in this difficult period. Your prayers and help mean more for us than ever,” we read a fundraiser.
Collecting money on Gofundme In the case of family costs and Metcalf’s funeral, they brought 95% of their goal.

(Tagstransate) news
Crime
New research: Demlitization police departments do not increase crime

Richmond, Virginia – June 12: photo of George Floyd expected to the statue of confederate general Robert Lee on June 12, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Last week, the governor of Virginia Ralph Northam ordered the removal of Lee’s general statue as soon as possible, but court proceedings temporarily stopped these plans. Protests proceed in cities across the country after the death of George Floyd, who died in police detention in Minneapolis on May 25. (Photo eze amos/getty images)
Giving police departments equipment to military class does not reduce crime or increase safety based on two independent research. Studies appear in the course of the ongoing conversation concerning the importance of “rejecting the police” as a method.
IN “Police demilitarization and brutal crime“, Kenneth Lwande, a professor on the University of Michigan, questioned the claim that the military weapon exchange program reduced the crime rate, assaulting police officers and the variety of complaints towards police officers.
Finding problems in previously published data Lwande focused on the information available after ordering the Obama administration from 2015, required to demlate local police agencies. Answering public indignation after exposing the militarized police in Ferguson, Obama’s administration Forbade some Sales of military equipment to the police as a part of the controversial program 1033. Trump’s administration reversed this policy in 2017.
IN interview In the case of ABC, Lwande explained that earlier research found that the transfer of military equipment to police plots served as deterrent. But from his evaluation, evidence does not confirm such conclusions. “It’s just not an accurate record,” said Lwande. “[Prior studies] They clearly suggested that by transferring military police equipment, he would stop criminals from committing crimes. “
Published in the character of human behavior, London magazine, research emphasizes the reaper of Trump’s administration on potentially “unbelievable” data when making decisions about withdrawing restrictions from Obama’s time. After assessing previous research, Lipowde found that publicly published data utilized in previous studies were filled with inaccuracies. Earlier evaluation did not control the equipment that was transferred between agencies, unused or otherwise inoperable. In addition, Lwande did not find any evidence that the demilitarizing law enforcement authorities led to an increase in crime.
Program 1033, managed by the Defense Logistics Agency, is one in every of several ways through which law enforcement authorities acquire military assessment equipment. Established in 1997 as a part of the Act on authorization for national defense, is estimated Program 1033 has transferred over $ 7 billion in military equipment into $ 8,000 across the country. The program was originally created for the forces of “counteracting terrorism”, but later prolonged to cover all of the activities of law enforcement agencies.
Covering with the national uprisings this summer, several members of the Chamber introduced laws to eliminate the 1033 program in June. The Black Lives movement also published Act Breathe Act, a comprehensive legislative proposal, including financing specific politicians and the abolition of the police. Section I of the proposed respiratory act requires the opening of the 1033 program in its entirety.
-
Press Release1 year ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Press Release1 year ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance11 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Business and Finance1 year ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Theater1 year ago
Telling the story of the Apollo Theater
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests
-
Ben Crump1 year ago
The families of George Floyd and Daunte Wright hold an emotional press conference in Minneapolis
-
Theater1 year ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Theater11 months ago
Cultural icon Apollo Theater sets new goals on the occasion of its 85th anniversary