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A former Atlanta police officer was indicted by a grand jury after fatally shooting a 21-year-old Black man hiding in a closet in 2019.
According to the Associated Press, now-retired officer Sung Kim was indicted for felony murder, involuntary manslaughter and other charges on Friday (December 16) in the shooting death of Jimmy Atchison, a spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said.
The fatal incident unfolded on Jan 22, 2019 during an attempted arrest for an armed robbery by an FBI task force, which included Kim. Police accused Atchison of stealing a woman's purse and phone, a claim that was disputed by a witness produced by the victim's family.
When authorities arrived to serve an arrest warrant, Atchison fled, entering a nearby apartment and hiding in a closet. Kim encountered Atchison in the closet following a foot chase and shot him.
Atchison's family said his hands were raised in surrender when he was shot in the face. Kim claimed that Atchison, who was unarmed, made a threatening move and that he believed the 21-year-old had a weapon at the time of the shooting.
According to a report by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authorities gave Atchison conflicting commands, Atchison's family attorney Tanya Miller said one task force member asked Atchison to come out of the closet with his hands up, while another told him to stay in place.
Kim was not wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting because a then-FBI policy barred their use by agents and task force members.
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