Local

Mother calls for resignations after case re-opened in son's shooting death

UNION CITY, Ga. — A metro area mother is making new demands following a major break in a Channel 2 Action News investigation.
 
Freda Waiters, the mother of an unarmed teenager shot and killed by former Union City Officer Luther Lewis, is making new demands of the mayor and City Council.
 
"I want the immediate arrest of Luther Lewis," Waiter said at a City Council meeting Tuesday night.
 
This comes in wake of a Channel 2 Action News/Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation.
 
Waiters stood up in the council meeting and called for the arrest of the officer who was cleared after shooting her son twice in the back.
 
She wants the city to ask the Department of Justice to conduct a federal investigation.
 
"We are hopeful they will write the letter and that the Justice Department will respond," said attorney Mawuli Davis.
 
Waiters also called for the resignation of police Chief Charles Odom.
 
This comes after Channel 2 Action News and the AJC discovered information never provided to the grand jury.
 
"Those documents were never read. They couldn't have been read," Waiters told Channel 2's Carl Willis.
 
During our investigation, an expert found Officer Lewis' statements were inconsistent with forensic evidence and called his actions contrary to all standards with a disregard for human life.
 
A key step to this progress was supervising Officer Chris McElroy, who told Channel 2 and the AJC that Lewis' story changed.
 
"Was this a good shoot?" Channel 2 investigative report Jodie Fleischer asked McElroy.
 
"Not in my mind," McElroy said.
 
The mayor says Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard subpoenaed the city for records and says he asked the city manager and police chief to cooperate fully.
 
"I've been told this before so I'm going to wait for judgement to see what they do," Waiters told Willis on Tuesday night.
 
The mayor apologized Tuesday and called for closure. Waiters said she plans on meeting with Howard later this week.