The event, that was already planned, took on additional significance after a shooting where the responding police officer and suspect both died.
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
FBI Charges Georgia Sheriff in Fatal Shooting of Black Man Freed by Innocence Project
Buck William Aldridge, the sergeant with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office accused of turning a routine traffic stop in 2023 into a deadly altercation that killed 53-year-old Leonard Cure, has been indicted on civil rights violations by a federal grand jury. Just three years before he was killed, Cure, a client of the Innocence Project […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Policing
Fani Willis Defends Her Record on Police Brutality Cases
Last week, as we conducted our interview with District Attorney Fani Willis, three grieving families were awaiting news from her office related to their loved ones’ deaths at the hands of Atlanta police officers. This week, the family of Deacon Johnny Hollman finally got their answer: A Fulton County grand jury has declined to bring […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Incarceration
Fani Willis Calls Commissioners ‘Liars’ in Jail Funds Fight
As you walk into District Attorney Fani Willis’ office, housed on the third floor of Fulton County Courthouse, you’re greeted by a Malcolm X quote posted along the hallway. “I’m for truth no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” But she’s faced several tests on her ability […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Garrett Rolfe, Who Shot Rayshard Brooks in 2020, Is Charged in a Bar Fight
Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe — who first made headlines in 2020 when he shot and killed Rayshard Brooks — is now being charged with simple battery after a violent altercation with an employee at X Midtown club last month. In a 911 call released a few days after the incident in June, club employee […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Atlanta Mass Shooting Highlights Need for More Violence Intervention Work
A mass shooting on Edgewood Avenue early Monday morning left Atlanta reeling and increased calls for more violence intervention work from grassroots organizations working in schools and neighborhoods across the city. At 1:27 a.m. Monday, Atlanta police received reports that multiple people were shot near the Edgewood at Hilliard streetcar station in Sweet Auburn, according […]
Posted inCourts, Policing, Public Safety
DA Doesn’t Appeal Judge’s Decision to Drop Charges Against Cop Who Killed Jimmy Atchison
An Atlanta father isn’t giving up after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not appeal a federal judge’s ruling to dismiss the charges against the police officer who killed his son. Jimmy Hill said he is disappointed, but not surprised by the decision. On Jan. 22, 2019, Hill’s 21-year-old son, Jimmy Atchison, was shot […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
APD Must Now Report All Deadly Force to Citizen Review Board
Last week, Atlanta officials celebrated an agreement between the police department and the Atlanta Citizen Review Board to increase civilian oversight over the agency. In a statement, Mayor Andre Dickens described the agreement as a step toward rebuilding trust between the government and the people it serves. Tiffany Roberts, co-founder of Building Locally to Organize […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Mental Health
‘The System Is Failing My Son’: Mother of Bipolar Man Fears for Son’s Life Inside Fulton County Jail
Latreece Williams hasn’t had a good night’s sleep at her home in Perkerson Park in over a month. Not since her son Dewayne Lamar High Jr., who was diagnosed with epilepsy and bipolar schizoaffective disorder in 2011, has been locked up in Fulton County Jail. “I call watch command every day to ask for a […]
Posted inMaternal Health
Proposed ‘Adriana’s Law’ Would Override Georgia’s Abortion Ban
Over the weekend, 30-year-old Adriana Smith was finally laid to rest after months on life support. Family and friends celebrated the young mother’s life at Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia by sharing memories of Smith’s kind spirit, while also expressing concerns about the circumstances surrounding her medical care. “It’s awful what’s happened to this family,” […]