Jimmy Atchison
Birth date:
Death date:
January 22, 2019
Age at Death:
21
About
Jimmy Atchison was 21 years old, and a father of two children. Jimmy's family loved him dearly, they fought and fought for him, wanting nothing but justice. They held a rally pushing for answers about his death, and filed a lawsuit that was never finished. His friends talk highly of the kind person that he was and want justice served. Jimmy's family that was present at the shooting all has said that he had his hands up and visible, and was coming out of hiding, trying to surrender to the officers.
Police officers were serving a warrant to an armed robbery suspect in Atlanta, Georgia. Jimmy Atchison ran from his apartment to his friends apartment, where he hid in the closet. Jimmy was unarmed. There was an investigation in play where the Georgia Bureau of Investigation team had told Jimmy Atchison "not to move" and told him "come out with your hands behind your head". The investigators commands contradicted each other. Atchison came out of the closet he had been hiding in, when he was shot to death. His family that was at the site stated that he had his hands in the air, trying to surrender, and yet was shot in the face. The Atlanta Police Department has a policy, requiring officers to use body cameras, which these officers were not doing.
Was justice served?
Justice was never served. As of February 2021, the lawsuit and Atlanta police investigation was never complete. The officer who shot Jimmy Atchison ended up retiring shortly after this happened. No further punishment was given to the officer. The other police officers that were at the site ended up getting citations for violating department policy as well as failing to show a search warrant before entering his apartment. FBI agents involved in this case did not find sufficient evidence for criminal charges. There are still no criminal charges connected to his death to this day. The Atchison family had been moving forward with a 20 million dollar lawsuit for justice, but no evidence on where that trial ever ended up going can be found. A witness came forward months later, standing up for Jimmy, saying that he was not armed and did not rob anyone, but they did not believe that man's story.