During the Dec. 1 Atlanta City Council meeting, family and friends of Linton Blackwell spoke during public comment to demand accountability and answers nearly two months after his fatal shooting by an off-duty Atlanta Police officer.
Blackwell, known in Atlanta’s music community as B-Green, was shot by Gerald Walker on Oct. 11 outside of a Buckhead bar.
Timothy Coleman, Blackwell’s manager and friend, told 11 Alive that there was an altercation inside 5 Paces Inn before Blackwell was escorted out, but then Walker – who was working an extra job as security – “ensued, chased him down, and gunned him down.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation alleges that Walker observed Blackwell enter his car in the parking lot behind the bar, grab something resembling a firearm, and put it in his waistband at the small of his back. The GBI says the officer gave commands related to the gun before opening fire, but Coleman and Blackwell’s other loved ones argue that the 17 shots in his back are evidence that he “wasn’t a threat” since he was facing away from Walker.
Now, Blackwell’s friends and family are demanding a full release of body cam footage, the officer’s complaint and disciplinary history, clear communication with his family, and reform to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
While the Atlanta Police Department is conducting an internal investigation, Blackwell’s loved ones also insist on an independent investigation by an outside agency.
“If the shooting was justified, prove it,” Darius Blackwell, Linton’s cousin, said during public comment on Monday. “If it was not, be honest about it.”
Some speakers during the city council meeting demanded Walker be “locked up.” Others argued that Blackwell’s death is further evidence of Atlanta’s “police violence problem.”
“If somebody did to my dad or my mom or my brother what was done to Linton Blackwell, Alexia Christian, Jimmy Atchison, Jayvis Benjamin, Anthony Hill, Shali Tilson, Rayshard Brooks, Devon Anderson,” Maisie Thompson, a local artist, said, “I could light this city on fire and not feel a thing.”
Blackwell is survived by his 15-year-old twin daughters, Destiny and Dynasty. Erika Bouttry, his daughters’ mother, alleged during public comment that Walker had a “violent history.” Records obtained by Capital B Atlanta show seven work rule violations filed against Walker. He is in a probationary period in connection to four active complaints, three of which relate to APD’s standard operating procedures around body cameras and one relating to standard arrest procedures.
“I’m here because my daughters deserve a city that acknowledges what happened to their father,” Bouttry said.
The GBI investigation is ongoing. The case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office once the agency completes its findings, which will then determine whether the case is presented to a grand jury.
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