Civic Leaders Fight Against District Attorney's Ruling in the Sammie Davis Jr. Shooting Death
Amber Jones
Story Created:
Mar 12, 2013 at 5:51 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Mar 12, 2013 at 7:55 PM EDT
Today’s decision has its fair share of critics, many of whom protested in support of Davis who was not armed when he was shot.
As events about the day in question unfold, some community leaders aren't satisfied with the answers that they were given.
They still have questions... and aren't afraid to speak for what they call justice.
Henry Gibson currently serves on Macon City Council and couldn’t believe the investigation’s results. "Oh my god. Oh my god. I didn't believe it," said Gibson just moments after he heard that Officer Clayton Sutton, the officer that shot and killed Sammie Davis Jr. would not face any criminal chargers. "There are just too many questions that he didn't answer,” he adds.
Joe Allen, long time Bibb County Commissioner agrees. “We as elected officials are going to do everything we can to get a conclusion to this," Allen says, because they say the conclusion they were given, isn't good enough.
"Waiting this long and those they had all of these witnesses, that saw all of these different things and even if they had video, we are talking about a mental patient," says Councilman Gibson.
The local chapter of the National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) leadership is outraged with the results of the investigation. Gwen Westbrooks, the organizations president says Davis' mental competency should have weighed upon more heavily. “I think that the approach should have been different," she says.
The NAACP wants to be clear on their stance that they aren't blaming the entire police department, but in this case the officer should be up for more questions. "Because of Mr. Sutton past history of complaints from numerous citizens of his behavior," says Westbrooks.
Both the NAACP along with Councilman Gibson and Commissioner Allen feel that this case should be delved into a further.
"We received the decision by the District Attorney’s office and the report from the GBI and we do have some concerns with that."
Westbrooks, Gibson, and Allen are encouraging those outraged, to be calm and trust that they system will work. "There are a lot of people out there that are upset a lot of people are going to be trying to use this to their advantage don't let that happen," says Allen.
Both Gibson and Allen want to call upon the department of justice to take another look at the facts in this case.
The NAACP will host a town hall meeting this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the I.E. Mack Fellowship Center on Houston Avenue for concerned citizens to share their concerns and ask questions.
Most Popular