Cops Defend Shooting 92-Year-Old Woman

(CBS/AP)  A police official said narcotics officers were justified in returning fire on a 92-year-old woman they shot to death after she shot them as they tried to serve a warrant at her house.

Neighbors and relatives said it was a case of mistaken identity, but Atlanta police say there was no mistake concerning the address of the house, reports CBS Radio News' Pete Combs.

Police added that the woman, identified as Kathryn Johnston, was the only resident in the house at the time and had lived there for about 17 years.

"I'm mad as hell! The neighbors know where the drugs are — ask the neighbors!" Johnston's niece, Sarah Dozier, shouted to reporters.

"My aunt was in good health. I'm sure she panicked when they kicked that door down," Dozier told WAGA-TV, adding that there were no drugs in the house. "There was no reason they had to go in there and shoot her down like a dog."

Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant and "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in shooting once they were fired upon.

As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., "as we have it right now, the female opened fire on the officers. The officers returned fire, and struck and killed her," Dreher said.

One of the police officers was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder. The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all three were conscious and alert, police said.

"They killed her, they shot her down like a dog, and I'm upset," Dozier said. "Somebody is going to answer to it, 'cause I'm going to sue like hell! I'm going to sue like hell! Let Atlanta know that."

Rev. Markel Hutchins, a civil rights leader, said Johnston's family deserves an apology.

"Of the police brutality cases we've had, this is the most egregious because of the woman's age," Hutchins said.

Hutchins said he would try to meet with Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington and would also meet with lawyers.

[cantshutup]

USAwatchman...

Why do bureaucrats and politicians want the American borders open?

[hermit22]

Maybe the reason that old lady got so many shots off is because those cops REALLY did not want to shoot her. Maybe they gave her every benefit of the doubt. How many other people are dead because of the drugs sold out of that place? What kind of a neighborhood is it anyway that an old lady thinks she needs a gun? Most old people are interested in where they are going to find their teeth in the morning, not a gun!

[mike826_1999]

What a shame. It sounds like the police had the right to shoot the 92 year old woman; however, they shouldn't have. What a shame.

[mike826_1999]

What a shame. It sounds like the police had the right to shoot the 92 year old woman; however, they shouldn't have. What a shame.

[trurose421]

'Police contend they obtained a so-called no-knock search warrant for the Neal Street house after buying drugs Tuesday afternoon from a man inside the home.

The no-knock warrant is frequently used in suspected drug cases because police believe their suprise entry into a home prevents drug dealers from flushing away or destroying the evidence. In this case, the warrant did not name a person, referring only to a "John Doe, aka Sam," the standard reference when a person's name is not known, police said'

So all you ***** who kept repeating yourselves saying the police knocked, are full of it. Full Of It. No Knock Warrant. Quote that.

[usawatchman]

FYI - the DRUG SMUGGLER who was given IMMUNITY by the US ATTORNEY
to testify again the BORDER AGENT

When it came time for trial and the drug smuggler was to show up in Court
to testify against the BORDER AGENT..

the DRUG SMUGGLER got caught AGAIN
trying to SMUGGLE DRUGS into the country...

and AGAIN the US ATTORNEY gave the DRUG SMUGGLER IMMUNITY
to testify against the BORDER AGENT..

REMEMBER PEOPLE

THEY (Bureaucrats / Politicians)
want the BORDERS OPEN...

ONLY THE PEOPLE
WANT THE BORDER CLOSED

Who works for who???

[usawatchman]

gramto11

Let us just say for the argument,
that someone else was selling drugs from her house..

Here in TEXAS, we have a LAW called

RECKLESS INJURY OF INNOCENT THIRD PARTY

in TEXAS, I would think the POLICE had the RESPONSIBILITY to make sure
the INNOCENT THIRD PARTY wasn't killed in her own house...

YES, the police the police should be searching records to find out who owns the house

ALSO, on the subject of land speculators
YES, these people go into these old neighborhoods
buy up everything for chump change
after they bought most of what they can buy
they start putting up rows of 1/2 million $$$$ townhouse
then everyone who hasn't sold, property taxes start going up...
then they have to sell because they can't afford taxes...

THESE OLD PEOPLE WHO LIVED FAR LONGER THAN THEIR BANK ACCOUNT
some times resort to selling drugs to pay for taxes....heart medicine..

but like I said in a earlier post
there isn't a JURY in this COUNTRY that was going to CONVICT HER
and
SHE HAD THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY

Last, as you see from previous post how concerned the FEDS are interested in KEEPING THE DRUGS OUT OF THE COUNTRY..

[usawatchman]

At 7 pm chances are good that she wasn't sleeping, but then maybe she is reincarnation of Annie Oakley and could shoot while asleep. Posted by gramto11 at 07:38 AM : Nov 24, 2006

gramto11 LISTEN TO YOURSELF

you don't seem to know much about old people either
my mother 78, goes to bed many nights a soon as it gets dark
my father before he died not only took a nap mid day,
he went to bed at dark.. slept 10-12 hr

SO, if they came in after she went to bed
her house is dark , she wakes up to a loud noise (someone tearing down her front door)
she still in bed, she may not have time to put her hearing aid in the dark
(it took my father 30-min to put his in ( he could not think in reverse at that age))
my mother is getting more and more hard of hearing now
she doesn%u2019t have a hearing aid and her PRIDE is keeping from getting one...


So the 92 year old woman wakes up
and see flash lights coming down her hallway
hears some thing like POULUSSE, WA HUVLA SUCHWLANMT
she get her gun from her night stand and she shoot the CRIMINAL (FLASHLIGHT)
she sees..

SHE DOESN'T SEE VEST THAT SAY
POLICE
BECAUSE IT IS DARK...

after the first officer is shot he falls back and starts to shoot his gun wildly into the dark room
so does the other behind them, once someone is hit in the face they loose track of what way is which, and the cops start shooting at each other...

[usawatchman]

Her gun was evidently a sixshooter, she fired 5 times. So she was not out of bullets.
Posted by gramto11 at 07:38 AM : Nov 24, 2006

gramto11 LISTEN TO YOURSELF

six-shooter...she wasn't out of bullets(???)

you don't seem to know much about guns
FYI, older guns don't have a safety transfer bar, thus they have a fire pin on the hammer
A lot of times people can't tell the safety position for the hammer
and instead of taking a chance of missing the safety position and having the fire pin on the bullet primer (chance of accidental fire when dropped) people only load 5 rounds with the hammer sitting on an empty round...

gramto11, I read the links to Atlanta newspaper posted by RonnieHM
did you think you are the only one who can read the other posts?
but thanks for being so near sighted to think I wasn't informed of what was going on...

[gramto7]

Look at more than one SOURCE, even.