Woman at center of fatal Rossville police shooting dies

The woman accused of making a false report to 911 that led to a fatal police shooting in Rossville, Georgia, on New Year’s Day died Thursday, according to an obituary from Moore Funeral Home.

Dorothy Marie Gass faced a felony charge of false statements, writings and concealing of facts after a Walker County grand jury indicted her in October. According to the obituary, she was 66.

Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herbert “Buzz” Franklin did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday morning. Gass’ defense attorney, Walter Moffitt, confirmed the death later Monday. A reporter’s phone number has been blocked by Gass’ son, Steven, according to an automated reply to a call this morning.

Earlier this year, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation alleged that Dorothy Gass made up an allegation against her daughter-in-law, Amy Gass, as she and Steven Gass battled for custody of their children in the midst of a divorce. Dorothy Gass allegedly told a 911 dispatcher that Amy Gass had threatened to kill her children in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

According to the GBI, there is no record of Amy Gass and Dorothy Gass communicating that day. There is, however, a record of Steven Gass and Dorothy Gass talking on the phone for several min-

utes before Dorothy Gass called 911. (Steven Gass later told the Times Free Press a different account: That he had been asleep that night until after Dorothy Gass called 911. He said he didn’t know about her call until it was too late, despite what the GBI says the phone records show.)

When officers arrived at the Rossville home where Amy Gass lived with her parents, they found her father, Mark Parkinson, in the kitchen with a gun. Parkinson’s wife, Diana, said he got up after hearing the dogs barking in the middle of the night.

Deputy John Chandler said he saw Parkinson pointing the gun at him, though Parkinson’s family says Parkinson couldn’t have seen the officers outside. From the front porch, Chandler shot through the window, killing Parkinson.