Unarmed Black Motorist Shot By A White Douglas County Georgia Sheriff’s Deputy
Attorney Graham Scofield was recently interviewed by several news outlets regarding the near-fatal shooting of his client, Cameron Hunt, an unarmed Black man, by a white Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy who had recently joined the force.
At the time that the deputy shot Mr. Hunt, Mr. Hunt was entrapped inside of an over-turned vehicle following a high-speed rollover collision. Mr. Hunt’s arms were raised and he was displaying his open palms to the deputy – just as the deputy ordered him.
Mr. Hunt clearly had surrendered himself to the deputy. He did not pose an immediate threat of harm to the deputy or any other motorist. Mr. Hunt was unarmed. There was no weapon in his immediate vicinity. The deputy’s body cam footage confirms that as you can see in these videos:
We’re all familiar with the slogan “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”. That slogan is a simple, common sense safety rule that should guide all law enforcement officers. When someone raises their hands in the air, like Mr. Hunt did, they are demonstrating submission and they are not a threat.
Immediately after the trainee deputy fired his gun at Mr. Hunt, the trainee’s supervisor exclaimed, “Why’d you shoot?!?!” because the supervisor knew that deadly force was unwarranted.
The bullet from the deputy’s gun pierced Mr. Hunt’s chest and landed within an inch of his heart. The bullet remains lodged there to this day. It is a miracle that the bullet did not kill Mr. Hunt.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has not disciplined the officer that shot Mr. Hunt even though this incident occurred nearly 8 months ago. On the contrary, they rewarded that deputy by sending him with a delegation of their “finest” officers to Washington D.C. to celebrate Peace Officer’s Memorial Day in May.
That misguided decision sent a clear message to the deputy – and his fellow deputies – that his recklessness was acceptable to the Sheriff.
We look forward to obtaining justice for Mr. Hunt.
#blacklivesmatter
#handsupdontshoot