DEPUTY WHO SHOT WALKER FIRED

Sheriff Dismisses Deputy Who Shot Kenneth Walker

Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph Johnson on Thursday fired David Glisson, the
deputy who fatally shot an unarmed Columbus man more than two months ago.

The announcement came at a brief news conference during which Johnson did
not provide reasons for the termination. The shooting is under
investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The termination comes about a week after Glisson was interviewed as part of
an internal Sheriff's Department investigation into the shooting.

"Having received notification that the GBI investigation was nearing
completion, I decided the time was appropriate to resume our internal
administrative investigation so that it could be brought to conclusion,"
Johnson read from a prepared statement.

Glisson shot 39-year-old Kenneth Walker during a stop along Interstate 185
shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 10. Before being stopped, Walker and three
friends, Warren Beaulah, Anthony Smith and Daryl Ransom, had been riding in
a gray GMC Yukon seen leaving an Armour Road apartment under surveillance
by Metro Narcotics Task Force Agents, according to official accounts.

All four men were ordered out of the vehicle, and during the ensuing
moments, Walker was shot. An autopsy report shows that he received two
gunshot wounds to the head, Muscogee County Coroner James Dunnavant said.
Walker was pronounced dead a few hours later at The Medical Center.

No drugs or weapons were recovered from any of the occupants of the Yukon.

The sheriff said the final piece of the department's internal investigation
into the shooting was the interview with Glisson, who had been placed on
administrative leave with pay since the shooting.

Citing a Supreme Court ruling, Garrity v. New Jersey, Johnson said the
deputy was "compelled to give an interview." Johnson did not elaborate on
the content of that interview.

The 1967 ruling "compels a deputy to come forward and answer questions"
pertaining to official acts or duties that he is under investigation for.
Though the employee can be fired from his job if he does not provide a
statement, the statement cannot be used against him in subsequent criminal
proceedings.

Reached Thursday afternoon, Glisson's attorney, Richard Hagler, said his
client had been "in full compliance with all the requirements of the
Garrity Act" and had spoken with sheriff's investigators.

"It's an enormous injustice and we are extremely disappointed," said
Hagler, who added that he was "looking at any and all alternatives with
respect to David's employment."

Among those alternatives could be an appeal to the city's Personnel Review
Board, Hagler said.

"I don't mean to lessen or lighten the death of Kenneth Walker, but every
time a man dies, it doesn't mean there was a crime or that there was an
intentional act," Hagler said. "The fact of life is that when people die,
many times others will jump to the conclusion automatically that there was
a crime."

Of his client, Hagler said Glisson was "extremely traumatized by all of
this and the fact that the sheriff took this action against him."

Though the announcement did not come as a surprise to the veteran attorney,
Hagler said the termination was an inevitable result of political pressure
on the sheriff.

"The truth is that political realities, which have been a dominant factor
throughout, determined this," Hagler said.

The lead agent on the GBI's investigation, Chris Hosey, confirmed late
Thursday that the agency had concluded its investigation without an
interview from Glisson. That report is expected to be delivered to District
Attorney Gray Conger today.

Reaction

Within days of the shooting, community and civil rights groups convened in
rapid succession, holding demonstrations and rallies, calling for the
sheriff's resignation, for the name of the deputy involved and for his
termination, and for the disclosure of the sheriff's department videotape
of the incident.

Since then, Johnson has released little information on what took place on
the interstate that night, citing ongoing investigations by both the GBI
and by the FBI.

"I have struggled over the fine balance of the public's need to know and
the importance of protecting the integrity of the investigation," the
sheriff said Thursday. Johnson acknowledged that the public reaction has
been "vocal" but reiterated again that "in order for justice to be served,
due process must first be allowed."

Asked how the decision affected him, the sheriff said, "When an employee is
terminated, it is always a difficult decision."

"My heart and prayers go out to both the Walker family and the family of
Deputy Glisson," he said.

Among those in attendance at the news conference was local NAACP President
Ed DuBose.

"We still have a long way to go, but it's good to see that a process has
finally started," said DuBose, who added he was satisfied with the decision
but nevertheless repeated his call for Johnson to step aside.

"There still is a leadership change needed," he said.

Wayne Baker, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and
another outspoken critic of the sheriff, called the decision "a very
positive step for Ralph Johnson."

"The termination of Glisson says to the watching world, there is not going
to be a cover-up in any kind of way," Baker said.

Columbus Councilor Nathan Suber -- who had previously raised the
possibility of the city firing Glisson because of what he described as
Glisson's failure to cooperate with the GBI's investigation -- said the
sheriff had "done the right thing for the community at this time."

"He was getting paid in his absence and I didn't think it was right," Suber
said.

City Attorney Clifton Fay told the councilor that the city could not revoke
Glisson's pay since money given to the sheriff's department could not be
taken back.

Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Robertson said members of his
organization had "kept close watch over the situation and we're saddened at
the loss of the Walker family and now of the loss of the officer. Our
prayers go out to both families."

Asked about the action taken against the deputy, Robertson said, "I have no
comment on that because I don't know the facts."

- -- Staff writer Kelli Esters contributed to this report.