SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A grand jury in Savannah, Georgia, has determined police were justified in fatally shooting a 20-year-old man they had come to arrest in January.
FILE – This April 5, 2018 file photo shows Jameillah Smiley holding a framed photograph of her son, Ricky Boyd, at her home in Savannah, Ga. Police were justified in fatally shooting Ricky Boyd, a 20-year-old man, a grand jury said Wednesday, May 23, 2018 after concluding that he pointed a BB pistol at officers who had come to arrest him. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum, File)
The grand jury report concludes Ricky Boyd pointed a BB pistol at officers, and it appeared to be a real gun. His family insists he was unarmed. Boyd’s mother says she’s seen the body-camera video, and she says it shows her son with his arms raised and no weapon in his hands.
Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap presented the GBI’s findings to the civil grand jury, which issued its nine-page report Wednesday. The jury decided the evidence did not support pursuing criminal charges against the officers.
The Boyd family’s lawyer has urged federal authorities to investigate Boyd’s shooting as a violation of his civil rights.
By RUSS BYNUM
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