Pubdate: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 Source: Ledger-Enquirer (GA) Copyright: 2004 Ledger-Enquirer Contact: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/enquirer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/237 Author: Muriel Tan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Kenneth+Walker DEPUTY WHO SHOT WALKER FIRED Sheriff Dismisses Deputy Who Shot Kenneth Walker Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson on Thursday fired David Glisson, the deputy who fatally shot an unarmed Columbus man more than two months ago. The announcement came at a brief news conference during which Johnson did not provide reasons for the termination. The shooting is under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The termination comes about a week after Glisson was interviewed as part of an internal Sheriff's Department investigation into the shooting. "Having received notification that the GBI investigation was nearing completion, I decided the time was appropriate to resume our internal administrative investigation so that it could be brought to conclusion," Johnson read from a prepared statement. Glisson shot 39-year-old Kenneth Walker during a stop along Interstate 185 shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 10. Before being stopped, Walker and three friends, Warren Beaulah, Anthony Smith and Daryl Ransom, had been riding in a gray GMC Yukon seen leaving an Armour Road apartment under surveillance by Metro Narcotics Task Force Agents, according to official accounts. All four men were ordered out of the vehicle, and during the ensuing moments, Walker was shot. An autopsy report shows that he received two gunshot wounds to the head, Muscogee County Coroner James Dunnavant said. Walker was pronounced dead a few hours later at The Medical Center. No drugs or weapons were recovered from any of the occupants of the Yukon. The sheriff said the final piece of the department's internal investigation into the shooting was the interview with Glisson, who had been placed on administrative leave with pay since the shooting. Citing a Supreme Court ruling, Garrity v. New Jersey, Johnson said the deputy was "compelled to give an interview." Johnson did not elaborate on the content of that interview. The 1967 ruling "compels a deputy to come forward and answer questions" pertaining to official acts or duties that he is under investigation for. Though the employee can be fired from his job if he does not provide a statement, the statement cannot be used against him in subsequent criminal proceedings. Reached Thursday afternoon, Glisson's attorney, Richard Hagler, said his client had been "in full compliance with all the requirements of the Garrity Act" and had spoken with sheriff's investigators. "It's an enormous injustice and we are extremely disappointed," said Hagler, who added that he was "looking at any and all alternatives with respect to David's employment." Among those alternatives could be an appeal to the city's Personnel Review Board, Hagler said. "I don't mean to lessen or lighten the death of Kenneth Walker, but every time a man dies, it doesn't mean there was a crime or that there was an intentional act," Hagler said. "The fact of life is that when people die, many times others will jump to the conclusion automatically that there was a crime." Of his client, Hagler said Glisson was "extremely traumatized by all of this and the fact that the sheriff took this action against him." Though the announcement did not come as a surprise to the veteran attorney, Hagler said the termination was an inevitable result of political pressure on the sheriff. "The truth is that political realities, which have been a dominant factor throughout, determined this," Hagler said. The lead agent on the GBI's investigation, Chris Hosey, confirmed late Thursday that the agency had concluded its investigation without an interview from Glisson. That report is expected to be delivered to District Attorney Gray Conger today. Reaction Within days of the shooting, community and civil rights groups convened in rapid succession, holding demonstrations and rallies, calling for the sheriff's resignation, for the name of the deputy involved and for his termination, and for the disclosure of the sheriff's department videotape of the incident. Since then, Johnson has released little information on what took place on the interstate that night, citing ongoing investigations by both the GBI and by the FBI. "I have struggled over the fine balance of the public's need to know and the importance of protecting the integrity of the investigation," the sheriff said Thursday. Johnson acknowledged that the public reaction has been "vocal" but reiterated again that "in order for justice to be served, due process must first be allowed." Asked how the decision affected him, the sheriff said, "When an employee is terminated, it is always a difficult decision." "My heart and prayers go out to both the Walker family and the family of Deputy Glisson," he said. Among those in attendance at the news conference was local NAACP President Ed DuBose. "We still have a long way to go, but it's good to see that a process has finally started," said DuBose, who added he was satisfied with the decision but nevertheless repeated his call for Johnson to step aside. "There still is a leadership change needed," he said. Wayne Baker, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and another outspoken critic of the sheriff, called the decision "a very positive step for Ralph Johnson." "The termination of Glisson says to the watching world, there is not going to be a cover-up in any kind of way," Baker said. Columbus Councilor Nathan Suber -- who had previously raised the possibility of the city firing Glisson because of what he described as Glisson's failure to cooperate with the GBI's investigation -- said the sheriff had "done the right thing for the community at this time." "He was getting paid in his absence and I didn't think it was right," Suber said. City Attorney Clifton Fay told the councilor that the city could not revoke Glisson's pay since money given to the sheriff's department could not be taken back. Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Robertson said members of his organization had "kept close watch over the situation and we're saddened at the loss of the Walker family and now of the loss of the officer. Our prayers go out to both families." Asked about the action taken against the deputy, Robertson said, "I have no comment on that because I don't know the facts." - -- Staff writer Kelli Esters contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom