Case Could Be Handed To DA Even If Four Key Witnesses Aren't Interviewed

More than a month after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Columbus man by a
sheriff's deputy, state investigators say they still are lacking critical
interviews by some of the main participants involved.

"We've contacted them on several occasions, left messages, attempted to
talk with them to set up interviews," said Chris Hosey, special agent with
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "I don't know the reason behind it. It
may be scheduling conflicts with their attorneys. I'm really not sure."

Hosey said the four key interviews left to be conducted include the
Muscogee County sheriff's deputy who shot Kenneth B. Walker and the three
friends who were with Walker on Dec. 10.

Walker, a 39-year-old husband and father, was riding with his friends on
Interstate 185 in a gray GMC Yukon when they were stopped by Metro
Narcotics Task Force agents and sheriff's deputies. The Yukon matched one
that was seen leaving an Armour Road apartment under surveillance for drug
activity, according to official accounts. Muscogee County Sheriff Ralph
Johnson has said that before the stop, agents had received information that
the men inside the vehicle were from Miami and were armed.

In the ensuing moments after the stop, Walker received two gunshot wounds
to the head and was transported to the hospital, where he died.

No drugs or weapons were recovered inside the Yukon, nor were any arrests made.

The incident remains under investigation by the GBI and the FBI.

In the event that GBI agents are unable to interview the four remaining
witnesses, Hosey said the case file will be forwarded to District Attorney
Gray Conger without them.

Dwayne L. Smith, a Montgomery, Ala., attorney representing the three men
inside the Yukon -- Warren Beaulah, Anthony Smith and Daryl Ransom -- has
characterized the GBI's latest statements as "disingenuous."

Without elaborating, Smith said he does not believe the agency is "in a
position of conducting a fair and impartial investigation."

Richard Hagler, the attorney for the sheriff's deputy, said it would be
inappropriate to comment on the case, other than to say he had been in
"regular and frequent communication with the GBI."

If any of the four are made available after the case file is handed over to
the DA's office, Hosey said, GBI agents could still interview them.

"They obtained legal counsel after the incident to ensure their best
interests were represented -- and I understand that -- but I hope these
attorneys understand for us to do a thorough investigation, these
interviews are critical," he said.