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DeKalb County Grand Jury recommends no indictments in officer shooting deaths

Decatur Metro ATL

DeKalb County Grand Jury recommends no indictments in officer shooting deaths

A photo of a memory wall for Kevin Davis. Photo provided by his coworkers at Sawicki's in Decatur.
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A photo of a memory wall for Kevin Davis. Photo provided by his coworkers at Sawicki's in Decatur.

A photo of a memory wall for Kevin Davis. Photo provided by his coworkers at Sawicki’s in Decatur.

This story has been updated. 

A DeKalb County Grand Jury has completed its recommended against indicting officers who shot suspects while in the line of duty, but did request additional information about one of the five cases it reviewed.

The report, released Thursday afternoon, recommends no indictments in the shooting deaths of:

– Eddie Ball Jr. and Ivy Shumake

Kevin Davis

– Royce Flournoy

– Austin Leake

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The Grand Jury requested additional information in the shooting death of 27-year-old Anthony Hill. The unarmed and naked man was shot by a DeKalb County police officer outside of his Chamblee apartment complex in March.

The Grand Jury said it was unable to reach a consensus due to contradictions in the testimony. They recommended further investigation.

The Kevin Davis case is well known locally. Davis was a beloved employee of Sawicki’s in downtown Decatur. Davis died on Dec. 31, cuffed to a hospital bed at Grady Hospital. He lingered there for two days after a DeKalb Police officer shot him.

DeKalb Police said that the officer shot Davis because he wouldn’t drop a black revolver he was holding. Davis was in custody in the hospital because had police charged him with aggravated assault. Since Davis died, family members and community activists have pushed for answers. The Police Department has formally asked for a GBI investigation into the matter. It is not clear where that investigation stands. The Davis story became linked with the larger narrative about the deaths of black men at the hands of police officers, like Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and Eric Garner in New York.

In a statement, District Attorney Robert James said that he is still weighing whether to pursue charges in the shootings of Hill and Davis.

“I take the recommendations of the grand jurors regarding each case before making the ultimate decision on whether or not my office seeks criminal charges,” James said. “Obviously the grand jurors were not unanimous in their recommendation pertaining to the Anthony Hill case. However, our office will continue to investigate this officer involved shooting case and will make a determination to pursue criminal charges or not. I am familiar with the facts and circumstances pertaining to the Anthony Hill case and have serious concerns regarding this matter. In the matter of Kevin Davis, we will take the recommendation under consideration, review the facts and make a final determination how we will proceed.”

Here is the full DeKalb County Grand Jury report, released on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Grand Jury Presentment

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