Georgia deputy fired into car, shot child, officials say. National lawyer getting involved
The family of a 5-year-old child shot by a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy has hired national civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Bakari Sellers aiming to “hold the deputy accountable,” Crump announced Wednesday morning.
The deputy in Douglas County, which is about 100 miles from Columbus, was part of an extensive pursuit after a suspect fled from authorities in his car and then tried to carjack someone at a gas station. The deputy fired into the car that the suspect was trying to take, according to information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, injuring the child in the process.
“I don’t know what action movie this deputy thought he was in, but that kind of callous disregard for basic safety gets innocent people killed in the real world,” said Crump. “Recklessness and negligence aren’t strong enough to describe what he did. He is a clear danger and he must be held accountable.”
Why Georgia officers were chasing this suspect
The Dallas Police Department arrested Rashauney Mike Palmer on charges of aggravated assault and kidnapping on Sunday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and was placed in the backseat of the cruiser handcuffed. But Palmer managed to escape custody. He ran to his Dodge Charger and drove away, GBI said.
The Dallas Police Department advised other law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for Palmer, and a deputy from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office found Palmer’s Dodge Charger on I-20 heading east, GBI said. The deputy attempted to stop Palmer with a Precision Immobilization Technique, also known as a PIT maneuver, but was unsuccessful.
The suspect later crashed his car into a tractor-trailer before stopping at the bottom of the Fulton Industrial Boulevard exit ramp, where he ran to a nearby gas station and attempted to carjack a BMW, the GBI said. There were three people in the BMW — two adults and a minor, GBI said.
A deputy chasing Palmer fired his gun at the BMW and the child was hit. She was taken to a hospital where she is being treated for her injuries, the GBI said.
The deputy’s name hadn’t been released Wednesday morning, Crump and Sellers said in a news release.
The attorneys are requesting the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to fire the deputy “at minimum.” They also said the family of the wounded child is cooperating with GBI during their investigation and is looking into filing a civil lawsuit against the deputy.
“As a father, I can’t imagine what these parents are going through,” said Sellers. “We’re talking about an innocent little girl whose life is never going to be the same because the deputy who should have been protecting her shot her instead. If that doesn’t make you sick to your stomach then nothing will.”
Palmer was taken into custody by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed the GBI. He is facing multiple charges from the Dallas Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and GBI.
The Dallas Police Department charged Palmer with obstructing law enforcement officers, criminal attempt to commit murder, battery, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, kidnapping, escape, possessing a firearm or knife, reckless conduct and theft.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office charged Palmer with fleeing, while GBI charged him with hijacking a vehicle, cruelty to children and obstruction.
The incident is still under investigation and, once finished, will be sent to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review, the GBI said.
