At least three officers appeared to open fire on an unarmed man seconds after he got out of his wrecked sedan in Fulton County, according to videos released Friday.
Devin Nolley was struck multiple times in December 2018 after leading police on a chase from an East Point gas station, his attorneys said. Footage made public Friday appears to show officers shoot Nolley after got out of a wrecked Nissan sedan and ran toward the woods on I-285.
Nolley was shot twice in the back and twice in the legs, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, after officers used a PIT maneuver to stop his car, according to his attorneys. Approximately 20 shots were fired toward Nolley, attorney James Bryant said.
“At no point in time was Devin ever armed,” Bryant said in front of the Fulton County courthouse. “And at this point, Mr. Nolley is a quadriplegic. And that should not have happened. Mr. Nolley was not a threat to anyone.”
Two former East Point officers — Rodney Etienne and Shiron Nicole Varner — were indicted last week for their alleged role in the shooting. They face charges of violating their oath, reckless conduct, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office chose not to indict a South Fulton police officer who also opened fire, DA Fani Willis said.
Nolley, who was 35 at the time of the shooting, now lives in a West Georgia assisted living facility, where he requires round-the-clock care, his attorneys said. He can’t feel anything below his neck, is unable to care for his daughter and will require care for the rest of his life.
A $30 million lawsuit filed in 2019 against the South Fulton and East Point police departments is pending. Nolley’s lawyers held a news conference Friday outside the Fulton County Courthouse.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
“What this video shows is probably one of the most egregious police shootings I’ve seen in some time,” Bryant said. “You can’t shoot an unarmed fleeing suspect, especially when he doesn’t pose an immediate threat to anyone.”
The Dec. 28, 2018, incident began after East Point police said they spotted a stolen black Nissan in the parking lot of a RaceTrac gas station on Camp Creek Parkway, the GBI said at the time.
Officers followed Nolley to a nearby Publix before getting out of their cars and approaching him. That’s when he allegedly backed into an unmarked patrol car, prompting officers to open fire in the busy parking lot as he drove away.
Nolley led police onto I-285 where South Fulton officers joined the chase, according to the GBI. Police stopped the Nissan on the interstate but shot at Nolley as he ran toward the woods.
— Staff photographer Arvin Temkar contributed to this article.
