TWO ATLANTA OFFICERS FIRED AFTER INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO SHOOTING

Two Atlanta police officers involved in the 2006 fatal shooting of
92-year-old Kathryn Johnston were fired after an internal
investigation found they lied and falsified documents; another officer
resigned and six more were disciplined, The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution learned on Wednesday.

The latest round of fallout in the botched drug raid means 14 officers
have been cited for some form of misconduct in the incident, including
five who earlier pleaded guilty to federal charges, with four now
serving prison sentences.

Officers Carey Bond and Holly Buchanan recently were terminated by
interim Police Chief George N. Turner, who will hold a news conference
on Thursday to further address his actions.

"These disciplinary actions conclude an exhaustive internal
investigation into a tragic incident that resulted in the erosion of
the public's trust in the Atlanta Police Department," Turner told the
AJC on Wednesday. "We expect our officers to uphold the law and follow
department policies and procedures. We hope we have learned from this
incident and can move forward with restoring trust and mending the
relationship between the police department and the community."

Johnston was killed when a police drug unit tried to execute a
"no-knock" warrant on her home, using information provided by an
informant who claimed he had purchased drugs from the home. After
officers kicked in the door, the elderly Johnston reached for a gun
and fired one shot. Police returned fire, killing her. No drugs were
found and officers planted drugs in the home that were recovered from
a different raid.

Bond and Buchanan, both veteran officers, each were charged with two
counts of violating the department's truthfulness policy and one count
of violating department policy. They have been accused of falsifying
incident reports and affidavits on search warrants. Bond is a 17-year
APD officer; Buchanan has 14 years in the department. Their firings
become effective on June 18.

Brad Burchfield, an eight-year officer, resigned while facing one
count of violating the truthfulness policy and one count of submitting
a false report. The internal investigation alleged that he purchased
drugs at one location but entered a different address on a search
warrant. He quit his job while the investigation surrounding him was
still active.

Maurice Guerin, an 11-year officer, was charged with one count of
failure to follow police procedure. The report stated he didn't adhere
to a directive when utilizing a drug buy from an informant. He will
receive a five-day suspension.

Five other officers received written reprimands for minor infractions
related to the Johnston case.

The internal investigation results, offered by the APD's Office of
Professional Standards, came days after a scalding report by the
Citizens Review Board, which blasted the department's role in and
response to the 2006 fatal shooting. The CRB report, released on May
24, said that APD drug investigators were willing to break rules --
foremost by lying -- to obtain search warrants. The CRB was created in
2007 in direct response to the Johnston killing.