ATLANTA — A caravan made its way Saturday from Atlanta to east Georgia to demand justice for Julian Lewis, a 60-year-old man who was shot and killed by a Georgia State Trooper in August.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Lewis, a Black man, was shot once and killed by Thompson, a white trooper, following a chase in Screven County on Aug. 7.
The GBI described the incident as follows:
Preliminary information shows that a trooper attempted to stop a Nissan Sentra for a traffic related offense on Stoney Pond Road in Screven County. The car refused to stop and led the trooper on a brief chase down several county roads. The trooper initiated a Precision Intervention Technique (PIT) and the car came to a stop in the ditch. The trooper fired one round, striking Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, age 60. Lewis was pronounced deceased on scene.
A week later, the GBI announced that Thompson had been arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault by the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.
According to a flier that circulated on Instagram, the caravan was to leave from Victory Outreach church at 9 a.m. and make its way to Sylvania, in Screven County, where Lewis was killed.
"We are demanding the release of the video/audio and the adoption of a statewide use of force standard," the flier said.
While the GBI has not confirmed exact details, activists say Lewis had just left a convenience store around 10 p.m. when Thompson initiated the traffic stop. They say Lewis immediately activated his hazard lights while driving less than 40 mph.
They say after the PIT maneuver forced Lewis' car into the ditch, Thompson shot him in the face.
The caravan was planned to end at Sylvania City Hall.
A lawyer told 11Alive's sister station in Macon, WMAZ, that Thompson was denied bond earlier this month.
MORE HEADLINES