The crowd of Saudi Lee, an area guy killed by way of a Savannah Police Branch officer in June 2022, excepted to the society Wednesday the frame digital camera photos of his dying, the actual abnormal flip in ongoing felony and civil instances inspecting the incident.
A magnificent jury indicted Ernest Ferguson in September on multiple charges, together with prison homicide and mendacity to investigators about what took place all over the 11-second come across, when the previous police officer shot Lee within the again 4 instances in Carver Village.
The previous officer has pleaded now not responsible. His lawyer and legal professionals representing town in a detached civil case alleging misconduct by way of the police drive and town have stated that Lee pointed a gun at Ferguson, suggesting that the taking pictures on June 24, 2022 used to be self protection.
Ferguson’s frame digital camera recording, which The Stream reviewed and reported on two months in the past, raises questions on that characterization.
The verdict by way of Lee’s crowd to reduce the video is very abnormal, as is the indictment of Ferguson. Few law enforcement officials in The united states are ever arrested or prosecuted for killing civilians within the form of responsibility. Additionally, then the killings happen, the society infrequently sees photos of what took place, in step with a ProPublica review of 101 police shootings from a single month in 2022.
“Often, charges don’t happen. The release of footage doesn’t happen in every case, and together, that’s very rare,” in step with South Carolina-based lawyer Bakari Dealers, who has represented households in 20 police taking pictures instances throughout 15 states. Amongst his purchasers, simplest two instances have energetic felony fees, he stated.
The costs in opposition to Ferguson have been introduced underneath Chatham County District Legal professional Shalena Cook dinner Jones, a Democrat. Ambitious-minded district lawyers had been extra keen to believe felony fees in opposition to law enforcement officials who dedicate misconduct at the task, especially since the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by way of an officer.
Dealers stated that the reduce of the photos in travel of the felony case is helping each the officer and the sufferer’s crowd.
“Even if it was a 50/50 ball in the climate we’re in, the officer will get the benefit of the doubt,” Dealers stated. “If he committed an act that’s beyond the pale … he will not only be convicted in a court of public opinion, but he’ll be convicted in the court of law.”
Amongst the ones collected on the afternoon press convention in Johnson Sq. have been Saudi’s father, Jerome Blige; his mom, Marshell Bernice Lee; and his sister, Dorothy Lee.
“Watching my brother get murdered is the hardest thing I’ve ever seen,” Dorothy Lee stated. “But people have the right to know the truth. Saudi did nothing wrong. There was no reason for him to be shot.”
Keith Barber, an lawyer representing Ferguson in his felony case, stated he seems ahead to “exonerating” Ferguson.
“Ferguson has committed no crime in relation to his interaction with Saudi Lee. He only acted in self defense in this situation. Mr. Lee undoubtedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at him and his patrol partner,” Barber wrote in an emailed observation to The Stream.
