Protesters Seek Investigation into DeKalb Police Shooting

Protesters camped overnight in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur to call attention to the fatal police shooting of a man in December.

WSB TV reports the protesters spent the night in tents and planned to be in front of the courthouse Thursday with signs that read “Black Lives Matter.” Their goal is to push for a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe into the death of Kevin Davis.

Patch earlier reported Davis called DeKalb County Police Dec. 29 to report that his girlfriend had been stabbed by her roommate at the Marquis Forest Apartments on Pinetree Circle off Covington Highway.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports a large dog tried to attack the responding officer, who shot the dog.

Davis was holding a gun to protect his girlfriend, WSB says, when he met the officer at the scene. Police say Davis wouldn’t drop the weapon and was shot in the stomach; he died two days later.

The officer who killed Davis was placed on paid leave after the shooting, but activists told the TV station he has since returned to duty.

“When someone calls the police for help, they shouldn’t have to worry about getting shot in their own home, especially if you’re entering unannounced,” activist Cydney Brower told WSB. “… We are going to continue to make noise, because we want this to be investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The family deserves it.”

The GBI says it can only act if the DeKalb Police Department or the District Attorney’s Office requests an investigation.

»Screenshots from WSB TV of protesters’ campsites and Kevin Davis, who was killed by DeKalb County Police.