Kathryn Johnson was a 92 year old grandmother who lived in a tough Atlanta neighborhood. She had lived in the neighborhood for 17 years and couldn't afford to move anywhere else. An elderly friend had been raped recently and drugs were rampant in the neighborhood, so Kathryn had purchased an old revolver and installed extra locks and "burglar bars" on the windows for added protection.
On the 21st... day of November, 2006, just 2 days before Thanksgiving, Kathryn heard something at the door. In her rough-and-tumble neighborhood, noises like that could mean trouble, so she went to get her gun for safety reasons. Meanwhile, three undercover police officers were at her front door with a "no-knock" warrant. Officers were able to obtain the rare "no-knock" warrant by providing evidence that an informant had purchased drugs at the home and that the home had surveillance equipment at the front door, which would give the alleged criminals time to destroy evidence. The officers were in plainsclothes and did not announce themselves before opening the door.
As soon as Kathryn saw the strange men at her door, and having no way to know they were police officers, she shot at them in panic. The shot was simply for warning, and went well above the heads of all the officers. In return, the officers shot 39 times at the 92 year old grandmother, hitting her 6 times throughout her body. Though the officers were not hurt by Kathryn's shot, the barrage of bullets released left injuries in one officer's arm, another's thigh and and the third's shoulder.
As Kathryn lie dying, one of the officers handcuffed her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. After officers thoroughly searched the home, they were unable to locate any drugs in the home; however, to justify their actions, one of the officers planted three bags of marijuana, which the officer later admitted was from a previous drug raid. The informant alleged to have bought drugs earlier from the home in justification for the "no-knock" warrant would later admit that he was compelled by officers to lie about purchasing the drugs.
Investigations following Kathryn's murder revealed that Atlanta police routinely lied to obtain search warrants. Further, evidence came forward that planting drugs was also rampant in the police department. The 3 police officers who killed Kathryn were charged with murder. They eventually pleaded guilty to various civil rights violations, and 2 of the officers pled guilty to manslaughter. Over 100 cases in which the 3 officers were involved are being reviewed for similar misconduct. One person has already been released from prison resulting from the review after it was discovered that evidence used to gain the conviction was planted by officers at the scene.
On the 21st... day of November, 2006, just 2 days before Thanksgiving, Kathryn heard something at the door. In her rough-and-tumble neighborhood, noises like that could mean trouble, so she went to get her gun for safety reasons. Meanwhile, three undercover police officers were at her front door with a "no-knock" warrant. Officers were able to obtain the rare "no-knock" warrant by providing evidence that an informant had purchased drugs at the home and that the home had surveillance equipment at the front door, which would give the alleged criminals time to destroy evidence. The officers were in plainsclothes and did not announce themselves before opening the door.
As soon as Kathryn saw the strange men at her door, and having no way to know they were police officers, she shot at them in panic. The shot was simply for warning, and went well above the heads of all the officers. In return, the officers shot 39 times at the 92 year old grandmother, hitting her 6 times throughout her body. Though the officers were not hurt by Kathryn's shot, the barrage of bullets released left injuries in one officer's arm, another's thigh and and the third's shoulder.
As Kathryn lie dying, one of the officers handcuffed her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. After officers thoroughly searched the home, they were unable to locate any drugs in the home; however, to justify their actions, one of the officers planted three bags of marijuana, which the officer later admitted was from a previous drug raid. The informant alleged to have bought drugs earlier from the home in justification for the "no-knock" warrant would later admit that he was compelled by officers to lie about purchasing the drugs.
Investigations following Kathryn's murder revealed that Atlanta police routinely lied to obtain search warrants. Further, evidence came forward that planting drugs was also rampant in the police department. The 3 police officers who killed Kathryn were charged with murder. They eventually pleaded guilty to various civil rights violations, and 2 of the officers pled guilty to manslaughter. Over 100 cases in which the 3 officers were involved are being reviewed for similar misconduct. One person has already been released from prison resulting from the review after it was discovered that evidence used to gain the conviction was planted by officers at the scene.
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