Killing of Greg Gunn
Date | February 25, 2016 |
---|---|
Time | around 3:20 am |
Location | Montgomery, Alabama, US |
Type | Police shooting |
Deaths | Greg Gunn |
Convicted | Aaron Cody Smith |
Convictions | Manslaughter |
Sentence | 14 years in prison |
The killing of Greg Gunn occurred on the morning of February 25, 2016, in
Background
Gregory Gunn lived with his mother in the Mobile Heights neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama.[2] He graduated from St Jude High School in 1976 and from Alabama State University in 1981 with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Finance. He is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. [3] The neighborhood had experienced a number of burglaries around the time of the incident. According to Montgomery Police officer Aaron Cody Smith, Gunn matched the description of a burglary suspect: "dark clothing, black male".[1]
Confrontation
Around 3:20 am on February 25, 2016, Gunn was walking home unarmed from a card game when he encountered Smith, who was patrolling the neighborhood. Smith stopped Gunn and performed a
Trial
Smith was placed on administrative leave following the incident
During the trial, Smith testified that Gunn had grabbed a metal painter's pole during the fight, at which point he escalated to using his gun. Prosecutors argued that Gunn could not have picked up the pole based on photographs from the crime scene which showed a hat in Gunn's hand.[11] A state investigator also testified that Gunn's fingerprints were not found on the pole.[6] They also emphasized that Smith had given several different accounts of the fight in the years between the shooting and the trial.[12] Smith had not turned on his body or dashboard cameras before the stop, so several details of the incident were unclear.[13]
On November 22, 2019, a jury found Smith guilty of the
In February 2024, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall took over the case, stripping Montgomery District Attorney Darryl Bailey of his role as prosecutor. On February 21, 2024, Marshall agreed to a plea deal from Smith, allowing him to be released from prison on time served. [17]
Wrongful death suit
The Gunn family filed a
See also
- List of unarmed African Americans killed by law enforcement officers in the United States
- Shooting of Bernard Whitehurst
- List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, February 2016
References
- ^ a b Brown, Melissa. "Greg Gunn murder trial: Who was the 58-year-old man shot by a Montgomery police officer?". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "White Alabama Officer Guilty of Manslaughter for Killing Black Man". The New York Times. November 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Kimberly Gunn
- ^ a b Brown, Melissa; Fiscus, Kirsten. "Greg Gunn trial Day 2: Thick sweatshirt could have impeded Taser, pathologist testifies". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Montgomery officer Aaron Cody Smith resigns after manslaughter conviction". WSFA. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ AL.com. Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Witness, family of victim speak about Montgomery officer-involved shooting". WSFA. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ "Montgomery police officer charged in death of Gregory Gunn". WSFA. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ Davis, Kelsey. "Officer indicted on murder charge in Greg Gunn death". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Montgomery police officer requests change of venue for murder trial". WSFA. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ a b "Gregory Gunn: jury convicts white officer in shooting death of black man". The Guardian. November 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Brown, Melissa; Fiscus, Kirsten. "Closing argument: AC Smith a 'bad apple,' district attorney says in final statement". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, Melissa (November 22, 2019). "Alabama cop who chased, beat and shot black man after stop-and-frisk guilty of manslaughter". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
- ^ "Ex-officer gets 14 years for killing unarmed black man". AP News. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Robinson, Carol (March 6, 2020). "Montgomery ex-officer can be free during manslaughter appeal, judge rules". AL.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Former Montgomery Police Officer Aaron Cody Smith's Appeal Denied". Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ https://www.al.com/news/2024/02/former-montgomery-cop-to-be-freed-from-prison-in-shooting-death-after-plea-with-attorney-general.html
- ^ Harper, Brad; Brown, Melissa. "Montgomery settles lawsuit with family of Greg Gunn who was killed by police officer AC Smith". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.