On Nov. 22, narcotics police broke down the door of Kathryn Johnston’s home located in a working-class, African American neighborhood in northwest Atlanta. Startled by the unannounced invasion, Johnston, a 92-year-old woman, fired shots at the intruders. She wounded three of the police.
At least one of the narcotics officers shot Johnston fatally with two bullets to the chest. The police have not reported how
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“People in the community are angry, and rightfully so,” said Rev. Markel Hutchins, an Atlanta civil rights activist who spoke on behalf of Johnston’s family. Hutchins traveled to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 27 to meet with U.S. attorney general Alberto Gonzales about the case. He requested a federal investigation into the police killing.
“We don’t think the Atlanta police is going to police itself,” Hutchins said in response to the Fulton County district attorney’s call for an investigation into the shooting. The district attorney is already claiming that the police had the right to be in Johnston’s home.
“Of the police brutality cases we’ve had, this is the most egregious,” Hutchins said.
The police claim that an undercover officer bought drugs from an unnamed man at Johnston’s home earlier on Tuesday. The community asserts that the cops had the wrong address.
Neighbor Darrell Watkins described Johnston’s home as “real clean” with a “wheelchair ramp out front.” Watkins stressed that Johnston’s home was hardly the site of drug-related activity.
“The cops went to the wrong house,” neighbor Reginald McAfee said, reflecting doubts held by many area residents, as well as Johnston’s family.
More than 100 people came out to Johnston’s Neal Street home for a prayer vigil in the days after the police killing.
Excessive use of force: Part of the racist system
“This is one of the most tragic cases of police-involved use of force, not only in Atlanta, but in the nation,” said Rev. Hutchins. Johnston’s family currently is seeking legal representation in the matter.
Atlanta police claim they knocked on Johnston’s door and identified themselves before busting into Johnston’s home with guns blazing. But this version of the events is doubtful.
The law requires police to knock and announce their presence before entering a private residence or building. However, narcotics police can get a “no-knock” warrant from a judge when they provide evidence that a location might be the site of drug activity. Here, the basis of the warrant is unknown since state court administrator Stefani Searcy refused to release a copy of the warrant. Searcy cited court “policy” as the reason for the refusal.
Rev. Hutchins pointed out the racism in the application of the use of force: “if this were Buckhead or Midtown, there would have been a much different set of circumstances.” “These police officers felt comfortable shooting first and asking questions later.” Buckhead and Midtown are both wealthy, mostly white areas of metropolitan Atlanta.
Atlanta’s assistant police chief, Alan Dreher, claimed that narcotics were seized at Johnston’s home. But the police have not yet released any information on the type of narcotics discovered or where they were found in the house. Sarah Dozier, Johnston’s niece, asserted there were never any drugs in her aunt’s house. This charge will be part of the investigation the family is seeking.
“[The investigation] will get at the truth, and we’re going to be empowered by that,” said Rev. Hutchins.
