e-Vents

[ Saturday ]

Incompetence Led to Atlanta Deaths

(Reprinted with permission)
The shooting rampage by Brian Nichols in Atlanta which resulted in the deaths of four people...a Superior Court judge, court reporter, deputy sheriff, and an I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) official...and the assault of at least four others, including the deputy escorting him, should never have occurred. Questions have also been raised as to whether the killings were racially motivated, as three of the four dead were white.

The circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the first weapon and killing came about as a result of poor prisoner escort procedures, and the lack of a holding cell in the old Fulton County Georgia Superior Court building. The fact that a 6' 1" 200 lb male prisoner was being escorted by a 5'1" female and that he was allowed to change from his prisoner's jumpsuit into street clothes, without handcuffs for his court appearance, is, in and of itself, outrageous. That the same prisoner on trial for rape and kidnapping was discovered one day earlier attempting to enter through the security screening area with two knife-like objects hidden in his shoes, makes this scenario even more bizarre.

These shootings, and assaults, should never have happened, and the people responsible for this security lapse have to be the Fulton County Sheriff and his senior staff, as well as members of the Fulton County Commission which provides funding to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's predecessor, Jackie Barrett, the nation's first elected black sheriff, was charged with misappropriating millions in public funds, and during her tenure, three prisoners escaped from her jail, in at least one instance, by simply walking out. She was also the defendant in a successful reverse discrimination suit by her officers. So, the office is not unaccustomed to charges of mismanagement and scandal.

The next series of mistakes followed the shootings at the courthouse around 9am EST, and the pistol whipping and carjacking of the Atlanta Journal reporter. His green Honda Accord was taken from a downtown parking garage, and for nearly 12 hours, its description was posted all over the airwaves, and on electronic message boards along the Interstate highways in Georgia. By accident, the car was discovered on another level of the same parking garage around 10:40pm EST, leaving police with no leads as to the suspect's whereabouts. Meanwhile, a resident with the same name as the suspect had his house surrounded by police, and green Honda Accords traveling throughout the southeast were being reported as the suspect's vehicle by cellphone-toting drivers.

A call to 911 that night led to the questioning of two assault victims near Lenox Square mall, the same location which the suspect was quoted as asking for directions when he beat the AJC reporter earlier that morning. Not until Saturday morning did police learn that the ICE official had been murdered at his home only a few blocks away from the assault. At that point, officials learned of the missing pickup truck, Glock handgun, and badge. Unfortunately, the trail had gone cold, but authorities continued to process evidence at the scene of each incident.

Were it not for the telephone call to 911 on Saturday morning by a woman stating that Nichols was in her apartment, he might still be at large. Nichols had managed to travel undetected to the northeast Atlanta suburb in the stolen pickup truck on Friday night, and pulled into an apartment community in his attempt to hide from police.

The Gwinnett County Police department handled the situation properly in responding to that call, and dispatched SWAT teams and officers to the scene, who apprehended Nichols after he waved his white cloth and surrendered. But questions remain as to the handling or mishandling of the early stages of the investigation. When asked by a reporter during the Saturday afternoon press conference why the carjacked Honda wasn't discovered in the parking garage shortly after its initial report of being stolen, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington said that 'we thought he had left the area.'

And how did Nichols, with no money, ID, and his face plastered all over the news get from downtown Atlanta to Lenox Mall? He rode on MARTA, the public bus and rail transportation system in Atlanta. It would not be the first time that MARTA has been criticized for their security lapses...many area residents refuse to ride the subway out of regard for their personal safety. But one must ask about the CCTV cameras located at MARTA stations and how they were monitored, as well as whether MARTA stations were secured once a perimeter was established. The queston of how seriously police took the 'Lenox Square' connection may be answered in time, but a former Atlanta police chief commented that it should have been a no-brainer.

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, the officials responsible for the mishandling of this entire episode should be held accountable.

MM [16:56]