Legal Commentary

Officer Involved in Deadly Atlanta Drug Raid Pleads Guilty

By TChris

Almost two years ago, TalkLeft began a series of posts addressing the death of Kathryn Johnston, a 92 year old woman who was killed by police officers during a drug raid in Atlanta. The officer who swore to the search warrant application invented an undercover drug buy in the woman's residence that never occurred.

The officers lied to a judge, smashed in Johnston’s door and unloaded 39 shots at the elderly woman as she fired a shot at the invaders with an old revolver. One officer then handcuffed Johnston as she lay dying. Drugs were then planted in her basement.

Two involved officers were convicted of manslaughter in state court and federal civil rights charges. They are awaiting sentencing. A third just entered a guilty plea to a federal charge of conspiring to violate civil rights in exchange for a recommended sentence of about 10 years. That officer is already serving a 4 1/2 year sentence for lying to investigators about the botched raid.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 31, 2008 (boomark / email).