Attorneys for former Woodstock officer issue statement about shooting, family finds it offensive

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The attorneys for the former Woodstock police officer indicted for the death of an unarmed man have issued a statement.

The parents of the man who was killed say that statement is offensive and it only makes the situation more difficult and heartbreaking.

On Wednesday a judge set a $50,000 bond for Grant Shaw after a grand jury indicted him on an involuntary manslaughter charge for the shooting death of Emmanuel Millard.

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Later that evening, Shaw’s lead attorney sent the following statement to Channel 2′s Audrey Washington.

“This is a tragic situation. The actions that occurred last October during a few moments and then seconds of what should have been a routine traffic stop have now forever changed the lives of everyone involved. Attorney Poole and I are prepared to support and advocate for our client Mr. Shaw.”

On Thursday, Millard’s parents reacted to the statement.

“It’s not a few moments. This is a lifetime of hurt. This is a lifetime of devastation,” Emmanuel’s mother Lenette Millard said.

“I can never wake up again and see my son,” his father Joseph Francis III said.

In October 2023, Shaw shot Emmanuel Millard in the head following a traffic stop in Woodstock that turned into a police pursuit into Cobb County.

According to Shaw’s peace officer standards and training council (POST) record, he completed one hour of judgemental shooting training in June 2023, one hour of de-escalation techniques training, and two hours of use of deadly force training in January 2023.

“That’s not enough training for what he was going to encounter as an officer,” Lenette Millard said.

“The hours of training really opens my eyes to why he did what he did,” Joseph Francis III said. “Just for people to flip burgers they get more training than that.”

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Shaw but our calls were not returned.

The family attorney told Washington that Shaw is expected to be arraigned and then the trial could begin in a few months.

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