November 21, 2007

Cops Still Investigating Killing of David Willis in Savannah, GA


Villagers, we shared information with you in mid-August about the shooting of David Willis, who authorities said was attempting to run down officers. Later, Al Sharpton traveled to Savannah to comfort the family of the young man killed by the police. I have been wondering about the news blackout on the internal investigation of this police shooting case.

"Some investigations are cut and dry and move quickly through the system, but others are not," police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wilson said. "We want to examine everything carefully and thoroughly. It gives officers an opportunity to really review the strategies, tactics, policies and procedures and to look at how we can better serve the community. That's what we do."

Willis family representatives, however, contend some crucial details surrounding his death have not been fully disclosed. Moreover, they have pointed to what they call contradicting evidence. Attorney Lennie Darden thinks the Pontiac sedan Willis was driving was disabled at the time of the shooting, and deploying airbags put occupants of the car in a state of confusion. He said his law firm is conducting an investigation of its own.

"The family is still heartbroken, and they're still asking for answers," he said. "There's been no direct response from the city or the police department to the family, so they're distraught over that."

We will keep the drumbeats coming on this story until we know the final results.

2 comments:

Woozie said...

Assuming the officer who fired was on patrol in his car, don't most cruisers (if not all) have dashboard cameras? If his did, it's peculiar how the video has not been released.

Unknown said...

Woozie - There has been no mention of the cruiser dashboard camera. Perhaps they don't have it because the town is rather small (Savannah, GA)?