ATLANTA — Officials have released the identity of the off-duty Atlanta police officer involved in a shooting that left a 44-year-old man dead.
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According to the Atlanta Police Department, Ofc. Gerald Walker was working an extra job and responded to a request for assistance from security.
The occured at Five Paces Inn on Irby Avenue in Avenue.
The suspect, identified as Linton Blackwell attempted to re-enter the business from the back parking lot, officials said.
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Investigators said Blackwell was in possesion of a gun. The officer gave commands in regerence to the gun.
Blackwell was shot and killed. The officer was not injured.
Channel 2 Action News spoke with Blackwell’s family who says he was shot 14 times.
“My cousin was a loving father of two twins, and he should have been able to make it home that night to his two twins, that were waiting on him... that were devastated by this news,” said Jimmy Hill, Blackwell’s cousin.
Family members say that several of the gunshots entered Blackwell’s back, as confirmed by the autopsy report shown to them.
“I want to make sure that I set the record straight and let people know what really happened,” Hill told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter. “A respected figure in the community…loved by many. Appreciated by many.”
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The GBI will conduct an independent investigation into the shooting, and once complete, the case file will be sent to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review.
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