Fulton DA says former officer ‘operated recklessly’ in chase causing deaths of 3 people

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told Channel 2′s Mark Winne in an exclusive interview in the seconds leading up to a crash that killed three people, the then City of South Fulton Police officer was driving too fast.

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The officer, Deonte Walker was chasing a stolen Mercedes with his lights and siren on, but officials said a few mistakes in the midst of the chase held Walker responsible for the three lives lost.

“He was absolutely going too fast and he also did not obey traffic signals meaning he ran red lights and by doing that he killed people. Was this accident preventable? It was absolutely preventable. It should never have occurred,” Willis said. “We lost a three young men between the ages of 20 and 25 and injured two others. It’s a horrible accident. Its one of the worst videos I’ve ever had to watch.”

According to Willis, the then officer of South Fulton was driving too fast, failed to obey a red-light all while in Union City, which is outside of his jurisdiction.

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Willis said the November 2018 crash happened in her jurisdiction and now a grand jury has approved an indictment prepared by her office charging Walker with three counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, three counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of serious injury by vehicle and one count violation of oath.

“He was trying to catch a stolen Mercedes. That being said though it was not worth the lives of these three individuals that lost their lives, nor the two other lives that were ruined as a result of this accident. I mean one of those individuals 98% of their body is burned,” Willis told Channel 2 Action News.

Attorney Chris Palazolla said Walker was permitted by a supervisor to be in Union City to find an open gas station with food on the overnight shift and picked up the chase of a Mercedes stolen in the city of South Fulton once it came into view.

“As a law enforcement officer we talk about using due regard, and the officer didn’t use due regard. Even if the light’s red or green if you’re going through lights and sirens you have to proceed you have to make eye contact, people see you, you have to use due regard no matter what,” Palazolla said.

Saul Alter, assistant chief civil rights unit investigator at the district attorney’s office said Walker was doing about 60 mph at the time of the crash.

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