Woman, 92, dies in shootout with police

[WinterlessIceness]

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The niece of a 92-year-old woman shot to death by police said her aunt likely had reason to shoot three narcotics investigators as they stormed her house.

Police insisted the officers did everything right before entering the home Tuesday evening, despite suggestions from the woman's neighbors and relatives that it was a case of mistaken identity.

The woman, Kathryn Johnston, was the only resident in the house at the time and had lived there for about 17 years, Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said.

The officers had a legal warrant, "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door and were justified in shooting once fired upon, he said.

Sarah Dozier, the niece, told WAGA-TV that there were never drugs at the house. (Watch niece's fury at police shooting )

"My aunt was in good health. I'm sure she panicked when they kicked that door down," Dozier said. "There was no reason they had to go in there and shoot her down like a dog."

As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., a woman inside started shooting, striking each of them, said Officer Joe Cobb, a police spokesman.

One was hit in the arm, another in a thigh and the third in a shoulder. The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, and all three were conscious and alert, police said.

The Rev. Markel Hutchins, a civil rights leader, said Johnston's family deserves an apology.

"Of the police brutality cases we've had, this is the most egregious because of the woman's age," Hutchins said.

Hutchins said he would try to meet with Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington and would also meet with lawyers.

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^ mmmmmmmmmmmmmmeh

[KRAMER5150]

dam,now thats f**ked up

[Majestic]

She never should've shot at the police.

Period.

[Axxman300]

Piss Poor Planning is the mother of all fuck ups.

Why didn't they know she was in the house? If they did know, why didn't they allow UNIFORMED officers to knock (Old folks respond to men in uniforms) instead of plain clothes po-pos kicking down the door? I mean you don't survive in a bad neighborhood for 92 years by being a push-over, I'll bet every kid under 12 knew she was packing too.

This "No Knock" stuff is great if your target house is full of bikers or El Salvadoran gang bangers, otherwise it's just a little over the top.

Justified or not, there is no way to look good shooting a 92 year old black woman, I don't care if she's got flame thrower and is driving a Sherman tank. Unless there was over a ton of narcotics thought to be in the house, they should have passed on this target because...as you can see...the down-side is pretty steep.

[Red]

It's a sad situation, but the account I read two days ago said that the police had made several buys from that location, one happening only hours before this shootout. This story doesn't exactly tell it that way.

At any rate, it is unfortunate.

[Space_Cowboy]

I wouldn't say they gunned her down like a dog considering she got shots off and managed to hit all of them!

[Axxman300]

I wouldn't say they gunned her down like a dog considering she got shots off and managed to hit all of them!

I was going to say that she should have been teaching CQB for the Atlanta PD.

[KRAMER5150]

ATLANTA - The FBI will lead the investigation into the shootout between plainclothes police officers and an 88-year-old woman who was killed in her home, which was suspected to contain drugs, the city police chief said Monday.

Three officers were wounded when they entered Kathryn Johnston’s home looking for cocaine based on tips from an informant, according to the search warrant released Monday by the Fulton County State Court.

Police said the informant told officers he had purchased drugs in the home earlier, prompting investigators to get a warrant. But Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington said it was unclear whether there had been a drug deal or whether the suspected drug dealer actually exists.

Story continues below

“That’s what we’re going to have to investigate and determine,” Pennington said. “The officers are saying one thing, the confidential informant is saying something else.”

Monday evening, WAGA-TV aired an interview with a man who said that he was the informant, and that he had never purchased drugs at Kathryn Johnston’s home. The man, whose identity was obscured by the TV station, also said that police had asked him to lie about providing the information, but that that was before he knew the elderly woman had been killed in a shootout there.

‘Unanswered questions’
Seven narcotics investigators and a police sergeant were placed on paid leave until the inquiry is complete, Pennington said. Pennington said the informant is in protective custody and would be a key part of the investigation.

“There are many unanswered questions,” Pennington said. “I promise each and every citizen that the truth will eventually be known, but we must have patience.”

After the shooting, officers said they found marijuana inside the northwest Atlanta home, but “not a large quantity,” according to Pennington.

Police had a “no-knock” warrant, which are frequently used to get inside a home before suspects have a chance to get rid of drugs, said Pennington, adding that his department would review its policy on such warrants and its use of confidential informants.

The U.S. attorney’s office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Fulton County district attorney’s office also will take part in the review of the circumstances surrounding the shootout.

Sarah Dozier, Johnston’s niece, has said her aunt lived alone.

Johnston was described by neighbors and family as a woman living in fear in Vine City — a northwest Atlanta neighborhood in the shadow of the Georgia Dome. There were burglar bars on her one-story brick home, and she rarely let friends and neighbors inside.

The medical examiner’s office also reported Sunday that records show Johnston was 88, despite her family saying she was 92.