ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A family is calling for justice and accountability after they say police unjustifiably shot a naked man during a mental health crisis.
At the time, police said Jason Marshall Haynes didn’t obey commands and was combative, leading to the shooting.
But the family said video that they released on Wednesday tells a different story.
The video shows Haynes on April 12, standing naked, and standing still, for 13 seconds until the family said an officer opened fire.
“He was shot in our neighborhood, our suburban neighborhood,” Haynes’ mother Makeda Marshall said, standing by her attorneys on Wednesday.
Marshall is calling for changes after she said the system failed her 19-year-old.
“This is the department that I called in the three previous days for help for my son, who was going through a mental health crisis. I was turned away three times,” Marshall said. “On that Monday morning, after I made those three calls, my son was shot,” Marshall said.
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Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office says they responded to an initial call of a naked young black male wearing a ski mask near an elementary school.
When they arrived, they say Marshall Haynes did not obey commands, that pepper spray and tasers were not effective, and that guns were only fired after Marshall Haynes charged at deputies.
In an email, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s office said in part, “The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office cannot speak on what the family is claiming; however, our deputies followed policy and procedure in all levels of force used during this incident. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Professional Standards, investigated the use of force and cleared both Deputies. Both Deputies have returned to duty.”
“He’s having a mental health crisis. He needs a helping hand, but he gets three bullets in his body,” Family Attorney Ben Crump said.
The bullets collapsed a lung and shattered Haynes’ patella.
The family said the video released on Wednesday contradicts Rockdale’s account, and that deputies should never have fired at a naked, unarmed 19-year-old.
“They could have done better; they needed more training as police officers. They could’ve brought a clinician. That is what they should have done, and they did not.” Marshall said.
The status of the GBI investigation is still open and active. Rockdale says body cam footage will be released after the GBI has closed its investigation.