Atlanta Cops Face Murder Charge

The Fulton County District Attorney will seek murder charges against the three Atlanta police officers involved in the shooting death of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston.D.A. Paul Howard told the officers’ attorneys that he plans to take the case to a Grand Jury on February 26. An attorney for Officer Gregg Junnier said the charges the D.A. plans to take to the jury include felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, burglary, and other charges.Kathryn Johnston was shot and killed inside her Neal Street home in northwest Atlanta when narcotics officers tried to serve a no-knock search warrant. Johnston, armed with a handgun, was killed in an exchange of multiple gunshots.Monday, at the Fulton County Courthouse, Rev. Markel Hutchins -- a spokesperson for Johnston’s family -- asked Howard to recuse himself from the investigation.In a terse letter, Howard refused.Hutchins said the case is more far reaching that the state can go. He said Johnston’s death can only receive justice from the federal civil rights division.“This case has been solved,” Hutchins said. “The case was not solved by local authorities. If we had relied merely on local authorities, we would still not know the truth. This family would still be hurting without any answers.”Hutchins was instrumental in getting the FBI involved in the investigation. It was originally a joint one, including the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s office, the GBI and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. But it is clear that there is a rift between the federal investigation and the D.A.Patrick Crosby, a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said, “The U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI have not been contacted by the district attorney regarding the issuance of such notices."