Family of man killed by Cobb County police files lawsuit against officer
Calls for DOJ to investigate shooting death
The attorneys for two men shot and killed by Cobb County police now want the U.S. Justice Department to intervene. The family of one of the men, Devonte Brown, has filed a federal lawsuit against the officer who shot and killed Brown during a traffic stop.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The family of a man shot to death during an interaction with Cobb County police have filed a lawsuit against the officer who killed him.
Attorneys for the family of Devonte Dewayne Brown announced that they have filed a lawsuit against Officer Ian McConnell on Wednesday.
On Aug. 18, 2021, Cobb County police say officers tried to pull the 28-year-old over for driving recklessly. Police say he initially stopped but then tried to get away and hit multiple police vehicles. They eventually boxed him in. Investigators say that's when McConnell opened fire.
In body camera footage provided by the lawyer representing Brown's family, the man was seen in a car that appeared to have its airbags deployed and was boxed in by Cobb police on Powder Springs Road. Brown moves his vehicle, hitting a patrol car.
In the video, the officer can be seen and heard firing about a dozen shots at the car.
"There were other officers standing around that chose not to discharge their weapon, but this particular officer, for some odd reason, decided to use force, force that we believe was unlawful and excessive," attorney Harry Daniels said.
Daniels says Brown wasn't a threat because he was trapped by his car's airbag.
"So the imminent threat of violence to the officers or other people - that wasn't the case here. The only thing that could have taken place was damage to squad cars," he said.
Devonte Dewayne Brown (Supplied)
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to conduct an independent investigation and then turned their findings over to the Cobb County District Attorney's Office. The GBI did report that a gun was found in Brown's car.
A grand jury concluded that there were "no grounds for charges against the officers involved."
Attorneys alleged that McConnell was never indicted in the shooting because the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office presented incomplete evidence to the grand jury in December 2022, saying that all the evidence gathered by the GBI was given to the DA's office nine months after the grand jury heard the case.
Earlier in February, the family called for the Georgia Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to the case.
Attorneys plan to share details about the lawsuit on Wednesday morning in front of the Cobb County Courthouse in Marietta.