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A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the family of Georgia man who was shot by police officers who entered his home without a warrant.
The family of Marando Salmon filed a federal lawsuit last week, alleging that the Salmon's constitutional rights were violated during the deadly, warantless search of his home on November 4, 2022, 11 Alive reports.
Officers entered Salmon's home without a warrant amid an investigation over a car that was stolen from a dealership. Police spotted the alleged stolen car in Salmon's driveway, which was believed to have been taken on "a test drive from a dealership a week before and did not return or pay for it," the lawsuit states.
According to the suit, officers knocked on the front door and entered the home after no one answered. Dekalb police officer Russell Mathis encountered Salmon sitting on his bed in the dark. Mathis shot and killed Salmon in a matter of seconds.
District Attorney Sherry Boston said Salmon threw a phone at Mathis, which the officer believed was a knife.
Earlier this year, Mathis and Jordan Vance, a second officer involved in the warantless raid, were indicted by a grand jury. Mathis was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct while Vance was indicted on reckless conduct charges.
Mathis resigned from the department in May 2023, and Vance was fired on March 11.
The lawsuit is accusing the two officers and DeKalb County of violating Salmon's Fourth Amendment rights by entering his home without a warrant.
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