Cop charged in death of black man
Georgia officer wanted for manslaughter has surrendered
ATLANTA — A white Georgia police officer accused of fatally shooting a black man had only been on the job a year and a half. But during that time, he’d already earned one suspension for using his personal vehicle in a high-speed chase and — after a black resident complained to the police — parked outside his house, causing the resident to say he feared for his life.
Kingsland Police Officer Zechariah Presley surrendered Wednesday after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation obtained a warrant for his arrest on the charge of manslaughter. The killing has enraged family and friends of the dead man — Anthony Marcel Green — in the small town of Kingsland near the border with Florida where the shooting occurred.
Green’s family demanded justice Thursday, with one of their lawyers referring to the shooting as one of many “senseless killings of black men by police.”
Presley’s lawyer, Adrienne Browning, said her client is looking forward to his day in court.
The shooting unfolded June 21, when Presley was following a vehicle that stopped at an intersection, and the driver and passenger ran, according to a statement from the investigative bureau. Presley pursued the driver, shouting over police radios: “Got one running! Got two running!”
What happened next was recorded on Presley’s body camera, but has not been released.
Images from the camera are still being reviewed by the bureau, along with dashcam footage, GBI Special Agent Stacy Carson said. She said that, for that reason, neither was being made public.
Presley, 26, caught up with Green, 33, making physical contact, but Green again fled, “at which time Presley fired multiple shots resulting in the death of Green,” the bureau statement said.
Green’s family attorney, Reginald Greene, released a statement saying the family is encouraged by Presley’s arrest, but still waiting for answers.
“Tony Green was gunned down in cold blood by Officer Presley,” Greene said in a statement. “We intend to remain vigilant until he is brought to justice and the family is able to get answers as to why this happened in the first place. The senseless killings of black men by police must stop.”
Presley’s first appearance in court is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday in Camden County.
Kingsland Police Chief Daryl G. Griffis recommended firing Presley, and Kingsland City Manager Lee Spell agreed, news outlets reported.