Family of child shot by Douglas deputy trying to stop carjacking hires civil rights attorneys

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — The family of a child who was shot by Douglas County deputy has hired prominent civil rights attorneys for their case.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed the deputy shot at a suspect trying to carjack the family’s BMW on Monday at a gas station on Fulton Industrial Boulevard.

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Aaliyah Adams, the child’s mother, shared photos with Channel 2′s Tom Jones of where the gunfire went through the back window and hit her daughter.

The family has since hired civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Bakari Sellers to “fight for justice and hold the deputy accountable for shooting an innocent five-year-old girl.”

Crump and Sellers are calling for Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds to fire the deputy, who has not been identified.

“I don’t know what action movie this deputy thought he was in, but that kind of callous disregard for basic safety gets innocent people killed in the real world,” Crump said in a statement. “Recklessness and negligence aren’t strong enough to describe what he did. He is a clear danger and he must be held accountable.”

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The GBI said the deputy shot at Roshauny Mike Palmer, a suspect who had escaped from the back of a Dallas police patrol car on Sunday night.

A deputy later saw Palmer in a Dodge Charger, chased him down I-20 and eventually did a PIT maneuver. Investigators said Palmer crashed the car into a tractor-trailer then he ran to the gas station.

While Palmer tried to steal a BMW at the gas pump, the deputy opened fire at the car, which had a family inside.

One of the bullets that the deputy fired hit the girl, who was in the backseat. She’s now being treated for her injuries at a hospital.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment on the lawsuit. We are waiting for their response.

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