Atlanta grand jury is reportedly set to review an investigation involving 6 former officers fired after Terry Lee Thurmond's death
A Georgia grand jury is set to review an investigation involving six ex-deputies in the coming weeks.
Today (June 21), CNN reported a source informed the outlet that prosecutors are expected to present a case in front of a group of their peers soon. The probe was initiated after several former officers were allegedly involved in a fatal incident with 38-year-old Terry Lee Thurmond in 2022.
On Nov. 27 of that year, authorities arrested Thurmond on suspicion of criminal trespassing at an airport, the publication shared. The following day, while being held in the Clayton County jail south of Atlanta, surveillance footage showed Thurmond reportedly attempting to throw himself over the edge of a second-floor walkway. In the video, two other inmates attempted to stop the 38-year-old from falling. At the time, several sheriff’s deputies joined the detainees in holding onto Thurmond. According to CNN, they lifted the Georgia man over the railing and placed him on the walkway.
However, per the county medical examiner’s office’s timeline document, Thurmond continued to be “combative.” The video showed a deputy using what appeared to be a taser on Thurmond. Officers reportedly struggled with him for minutes before they gained the upper hand. The office’s document also stated that police had Thurmond face down and “most/all of the officers appear to be placing their knees and their body weight on him.” The act went on for nearly 10 minutes.
According to Thomas Reynolds, who represents Thurmond’s family, the 38-year-old was left unconscious for over 15 minutes before being transported to a hospital by first responders. Doctors pronounced Thurmond dead at the hospital. A local medical examiner ruled his death as a homicide. “They suffocated him to death,” Reynolds told CNN. “This is George Floyd 2.0, except there were six of them on top of (Thurmond) for 16-18 minutes, and they stayed on top of him well after he was lifeless and stopped resisting.”
Less than a month later, the sheriff’s office announced the alleged termination of Ellonte Johnson, Randy Gaddy, Dionte McCauley, Fred Denson, Derrick Doyle, and Danilo Jones. The announcement came after an investigation into Thurmond’s death was launched. Per the source, a grand jury will likely hear the matter by the end of June.
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