Al Sharpton speaks at funeral for man killed by sheriff's deputies in Augusta

The family of a man shot and killed by sheriff's deputies at a public housing complex in Augusta laid him to rest on Monday.

Justin Elmore died last Tuesday, two days after the shooting, which officials say happened after the man apparently tried to run over them.

The shooting prompted an angry riot, with people hurling bottles and rocks at police.

Several residents of the housing complex say they witnessed the shooting, and believe Elmore was innocent and that he was not trying to hurt anyone.

Civil rights activist Al Sharpton spoke at Elmore's funeral. He called for peace. Sharpton says he does not condone last week's confrontation with deputies. He says he'll wait until an investigation of the shooting by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is complete before he decides whether to become further involved in the case.

Shooting by deputies in Augusta angers crowds

The shooting of a man by sheriff's deputies at an Augusta public housing complex has prompted area residents to confront law enforcement officials at least twice.

Deputies shot and critically injured Justin Elmore when he apparently rammed his vehicle into their patrol cars. Officials say the shooting happened in self-defense. Witnesses, many who lived in the Cherry Tree Crossing housing project where the shooting happened, have a different story. They say they believe Elmore was not trying to kill or injure the deputies.

An angry mob, some say as many as 200 people, confronted deputies at Cherry Tree after the shooting on Sunday, throwing rocks and bottles, setting dumpster fires and hurling insults. Elmore died on Tuesday, and another confrontation with law enforcement officials followed that evening at a candlelight vigil in his memory. Officials say four people were arrested for disorderly conduct at the vigil.

Protests often follow police shootings, but the one at Cherry Tree was particularly intense. Even though Elmore didn't live at the complex, he had friends there and was very popular, which may partly explain the crowd's actions. Several Cherry Tree residents either saw the shooting or heard the shots and believe Elmore was innocent.

Officials with the Augusta Housing Authority say the two officers involved in the shooting were among 12-15 Richmond County sheriff's deputies assigned solely to public housing complexes in the city. They say this arrangement has existed for about ten years, and that residents of the complexes have previously told authority officials that they feel more secure with the increased police presence.

Officials with the Richmond County sheriff's department, meanwhile, did not return phone calls seeking comment about the shooting or the confrontations. But Sheriff Ronnie Strength has said it appears the officers acted appropriately.

Meanwhile, housing officials said Wednesday that it appears the situation at Cherry Tree has calmed down. State patrol officers were among law enforcement authorities patrolling the complex.

The shooting is still under investigation.

Elementary School Closed Over Police Standoff

Classes are canceled at Riverside Elementary School today in Suwanee because of a standoff in which two Gwinnett County police officers were shot while serving an arrest warrant.

Shots were heard from inside the home around 6 a.m. today but police believe the suspect is still alive.

A recorded telephone messasge at the schools says classes are cancled for students and teachers because of a "safety concern" in the neighborhood. Police say Riverside Elementary -- estimated
to be about a mile away -- is the school closest to the scene of the standoff.

The officers were shot as they tried to serve the warrant Thursday night. Police say the suspect then barricaded himself in the home and police swarmed to the scene. A SWAT team had the home surrounded and was trying to talk the suspect out of the home.

The officers were taken to Gwinnett Medical Center and are believed to be in stable condition. One officer was shot in the leg, and the other was hit in the back, stomach, shoulder and arm.

According to dispatchers, officers pulling up to the location were able to pull the officers who had been shot to safety.

The Suwanee City Hall opened its doors to area residents who couldn't get to their homes because of the standoff.

(The Associated Press)

Atlanta investigates another police shooting

Atlanta has another police shooting on its hands. Controversy has barely settled over November’s police shooting of a 92-year-old woman in her home. In this most recent shooting, family members say officers shot and killed 26-year-old Ron Pettaway early yesterday outside a bar near College Park. They say his brother, 27-year-old Roy Pettaway, is in stable condition at an Atlanta hospital. The Atlanta Police Department says the shooting is under investigation.