CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — UPDATE: Clayton County DA Tasha Mosley announced Friday there will be no charges in the police shooting death last year of 19-year-old father Eric Holmes. She said a grand jury voted not to indict the officer, and her office determined presenting the case to a second grand jury would not be justified because there was not enough new evidence.
Mosley said the case is now considered closed.
You can watch the press conference in the YouTube player below, as well as an excerpt in the video player above this story.
The district attorney played police bodycam video from the November 2022 shooting, which occurred in the midst of a stolen car investigation and as Holmes allegedly drove off in the car. She did not take questions, and said any further inquiries about the case will have to be made via open records requests.
Original story below
The district attorney in Clayton County will provide an update Friday morning on the case of a police shooting last year that left a 19-year-old father and son dead.
A press conference with Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Harold R. Banke Justice Center in Jonesboro.
It's not yet clear what kind of announcement the DA will make the in the case. Holmes' mother, Vakelvion Holmes, told 11Alive last year she wanted to see the officer charged.
Eric's family said earlier this year it's still hard to come to terms with the fact he's no longer here.
"That was the love of my life. And I won’t forget him," said his great grandmother, Sarah Leary. "You know I wouldn't have thought because I'm 85 years old and gah-lee he took care of granny."
The officer was allowed to resign from the Clayton County Police Department "in lieu of termination" roughly two weeks after the November 2022 shooting.
On Nov. 21, 2022, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a uniformed Clayton County Police officer was investigating a stolen vehicle parked at IGM Surfaces, LLC at 1135 Commerce Road in Morrow. According to the GBI, shortly after confirming that the vehicle was stolen, the officer was approached by Eric.
The GBI said Eric engaged the officer in conversation but gave no indication of his connection to the stolen vehicle. While speaking to the officer, the GBI said Eric abruptly walked away, entered the stolen vehicle, and started the engine. The officer gave commands for Eric to stop. The officer fired several shots, and the GBI said the man left the scene in the stolen vehicle.
Eric ended up crashing a short distance from the shooting. Vakelvion said her son was at work at IGM Surfaces when a coworker told him police were outside at his car.
11Alive's Cody Alcorn first interviewed Vakelvion on Dec. 7, 2022, a day before her son's funeral. She said her son of his own free will walked out to talk with the officer.
"GBI said it was a casual conversation," she explained. "Witnesses out there say there was no confrontation."
12 days after the interview, the Clayton County Police Officer who killed Eric was allowed to resign before being terminated, according to his post files.
No charges to this point have been brought in the case.
11Alive last reported Vakelvion Holmes speaking to the GBI about the case in January.
She demanded at that time to see the bodycam video footage from the officer be released.
"We went to the GBI to just try and get some answers. Apply a little pressure to them so they can release the body camera video," Vakelvion explained.
Then GBI director Mike Register told her he had no issues with her seeing the video. In he said at that time he would set up a meeting with the Clayton County DA and the Clayton County Police Chief to sit down with her and watch the video. It's not clear when or if that meeting took place.