Photo Courtesy Of 11Alive
Bodycam footage has revealed the police shooting of a 68-year-old Georgia man responding to a burglary.
According to CBS46, Clayton County officers gunned down Charles Calhoun after they claimed he pointed a gun at them and wouldn’t drop it despite being told to do so on Mar. 23. They reportedly said they were responding to several 911 calls regarding an armed man who was invading homes in Jonesboro.
One caller said he/she heard gunfire which caused police to unleash their weapons.
Calhoun’s family reportedly said he heard a noise outside of his home and responded to possible burglars. As he was busy trying to protect his home, he fell in the street, possibly due to the effects of his battle with COVID-19.
When police arrived at the scene unannounced, he insisted that he wouldn’t point a gun at them. His family also said that he would never do such a thing in the first place.
Unfortunately, one of the officers opened fire and shot Calhoun, resulting in his death a few moments later.
On Apr. 8, his relatives held a press conference about their loved ones’ tragic passing and asked for transparency during an investigation.
“He was a homeowner protecting his family,” one of his grieving family members said. “Y’all took him away from us.”
Another relative, Calhoun’s now-widow, added that she didn’t know why police shot and killed him.
“I don’t understand it, and I wanna know if something went wrong. I need to know what caused them to take my husband’s life.”
The family’s attorney, Mawuli Davis, stated that he was also confused as to why one of the officers involved pulled the trigger.
“When you’re concerned that there’s a burglar that is approaching your home, you don’t know who’s who and what’s what. It’s a confusing time.”
His clients released an official statement saying they don’t even know why the Clayton County Police Department decided to release the video of their fatal run-in with Calhoun without consulting them.
“It is unfortunate that the Clayton County Police Department elected to release this information without arranging to meet with the family first,” his relatives said. “In the coming days, the family will review the video posted on YouTube and issue a public statement.”