The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Longtime Georgia public official shot to death in Miss.
Almond Turner was on school board in Newton County, east of Atlanta.
Almond Turner, a longtime member of the Newton County school board, was shot and killed during a family gathering in Mississippi.
Turner, a retired Covington assistant police chief, died after a shooting Saturday at the 1st and 10 Gaming Lounge in Meridian, Mississippi, according to reports.
Covington police told Channel 2 Action News that the suspected shooter was Turner’s nephew, 41-year-old Christopher Denson.
On Sunday afternoon, the Covington Police Department announced that law enforcement officers in Mississippi had arrested Denson at his apartment without incident.
Turner had served on the Newton County school board since 1996, and he retired from the Covington Police Department in 2016 after 45 years on the force. “The Covington Police Department is devastated and heartbroken to hear of the passing of Assistant Chief Almond Turner,” said a statement released Sunday afternoon by police spokesman Justin Stott. “We are all shocked by the news. Our hearts go out to the Turner family as they try to understand what happened during this terrible tragedy. Our focus right now is on the Turner family and surrounding and supporting them any way we can.”
During more than five terms on the school board, Turner
emphasized safety measures throughout the 19,500-student school system, located 40 miles east of Atlanta.
Turner led efforts to install cameras in all school buses and classrooms, according to the school district. He also worked to ensure that school policies were fair to students, teachers and administrators.
“We are stunned, devastated and heartbroken,” said Newton County Schools Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “He always wanted and fought for what was best for our students and employees.”
Newton County Board of Education Chairwoman Shakila Henderson-Baker said Turner was a leader in the community.
“This is hard,” Henderson-Baker said. “Almond was and is a man who spent his life serving and protecting others, whether it was serving on the police force or serving the community as an advocate for public education. I am shocked to hear of this tragedy.”
Turner graduated from R.L. Cousins High in Newton County in 1968 before attending Fort Valley State
College, DeKalb Community College, Troy University and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, according to the school district.
Turner was a deacon at Springfield Baptist Church.
Henderson-Baker said Turner was a hero who encouraged his colleagues and worked for students.
“My dad died two days before my first election, but Almond came to me and said, ‘I got you,’” Henderson-Baker said. “And now ‘I got you’ is gone. I’m devastated. We all are.”
Turner is survived by his wife, three children and several grandchildren.