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Couple apologizes to family after officer-involved crash

ATLANTA — The couple who placed a 911 call that led to an officer crashing into and killing a mother wants to apologize to the victim's family.

They also say there was no reason for the officer to rush to their home since other officers were there.

The collision at the intersection of Cascade Road and Fairburn Road in south Fulton County killed Jackie Culp.

Channel 2's Tom Jones has learned that Officer Joshua Sieck was headed to a home where an officer requested assistance with an attempted suicide call.

Nyshone Clements says she called 911 after her boyfriend, Jimmy Hall, threatened to kill himself. But Hall says he would never kill himself and was only trying to scare his girlfriend to prevent her from leaving home after the two had gotten into an argument. He asked for Culp's family and Sieck's family to forgive him.

"I mean, I just wish the police would have never been called out. I mean, man, you don't joke around with nothing like that. I just ask ya'll to please forgive me man," he said near tears.

Clements also asked Culp's family to forgiveness.

"I am so sorry. I mean if they feel I did anything wrong again I deeply apologize. I am sorry that it happened," Clements said.

Clements says she really thought Hall would harm himself.

But she doesn't think Sieck should have been racing to the scene.

"To me it was no reason for him to come because it was already four police here," she said.

Clements says a total of four officers, two in each squad car, arrived at her home in response to her 911 call. She says two officers never got out out of their car.

"I guess they didn't get out their car because there were already two here talking to me," she said.

She says Hall wasn't a threat, and as officers and paramedics tried to convince him to go to the hospital, they heard the call that an officer had been in a crash. They later learned the officer was headed to their home and had crashed into Culp, killing her.

Hall and Clements are torn up over the role they played in the tragedy.

Fulton County Police have charged Sieck with second-degree vehicular homicide. Atlanta police fired him soon after the crash. He had only been on the force a month. The former officer could not be reached for comment for this story.