Investigators release name of man killed by Carrollton police

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are looking into a deadly officer-involved shooting.
 
The shooting happened Thursday night at a BP gas station on the 900 block of Bankhead Highway.
 
The Carrollton Police Department released audio of the confrontation Friday and identified the man as 40-year-old Kenneth Joel Dothard.

Dothard, who had two felony drug related convictions and previous run-ins with the Carrollton Police Department, had been living at the Efficiency Lodge in the 700 block Bankhead Highway, GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said in a release.

Carrollton police Cpl. Chad Cook, the seven-and-a-half-year veteran identified as the officer who shot Dothard in the head, was placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the GBI's investigation.

"The corporal tried to physically restrain Dothard's hands and gave him verbal commands to not draw his weapon," Lang said. "Dothard did not comply with the verbal commands and began to draw his weapon. Corporal Cook had drawn his weapon and fired two rounds striking Dothard in the head."

A witness told Channel 2's Darryn Moore he saw the officer talking to a man and then things got heated.

"I heard the cop starting to get loud but I didn't actually hear the victim say anything at all," said witness Cody Carroll. "I saw the cop yelling and I turned to hear two gunshots. I didn't see him reach for a weapon, as far as I knew. He was standing there with his hands at his side. I didn't see him reach for a weapon or anything."
 
Dothard died of his injuries.

Family members said they had no clue what happened in the chaotic hours after the shooting.

"They won't tell us anything, we can't see anything, so we're just here just on edge not knowing," said family member Greg Dothard.

Channel 2's Liz Artz was there with Kenneth Dothard's uncle and cousin as they listened for the first time to the audio recording of an officer involved shooting that killed Kenneth Dothard.

"After hearing that it makes us feel like he was just murdered," said Uncle Jim Dothard.

The GBI released the audio recording from the police dash camera, but said the video did not capture the scene because of the way the patrol car was parked.

The recording shows the two men have a seven minute long conversation that was calm and respectful.

The GBI said Cook stopped Kenneth Dothard after a 911 call of a man standing at an ATM with a gun.

"Yes sir, I was there. I used the ATM. I got some money out, but I had no confrontation with anybody," Dothard said on the recording.

In the audio, you can hear things begin to escalate when Cook asked Dothard if he is a convicted felon, when he said yes, cook called for backup.

"The questions I'm asking you, you're making me feel like you know you shouldn't have this gun on you," Cook said to Dothard. "I was in the military. Don't take that gun out. Do not take that gun out. Don't touch me. Don't take that gun out."
Less than a minute later Dothard was dead, shot twice in the head.

People who knew Dothard said he worked at a local restaurant and stayed to himself.

"He was super guy, man. He didn't do anything but work. He didn't talk that much to no body. He lived by himself," said friend Charlie Thomas.

Thomas feels confident the police chief will do a thorough investigation.

"You got a good chief here. You got some decent investigators. We don't know what happened," Thomas said.

The GBI has taken over the investigation.

WSBTV