By Yolanda Rodriguez
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — A Douglas County grand jury refused to indict a Cobb police officer who shot and killed a man he was chasing last year.
The incident occurred July 5, 2007, when Cobb police Officer William Wise tried to pull over an SUV that was being driven erratically.
Wise followed the SUV, driven by Tyciris Jordan, into Douglas County.
When Jordan, 30, pulled into an auto parts store on Maxham Road, Wise ordered him to get out and raise his hands.
Moments later, Wise shot Jordan several times.
Wise was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, but he later returned to active duty.
The case was presented to a grand jury in Douglas County on May 30. The grand jury did not indict him on the one charge that Douglas County District Attorney David McDade presented: murder.
Keishan Jamal Davis, who is representing Jordan’s family, said the case was discussed several times with McDade before it was taken to the grand jury. They discussed the fact that a proper charge to present against Wise was manslaughter or a lesser charge.
But, Davis said, he found out on May 30 that McDade had presented only the murder charge. It would have required Wise to act with malice, which was not appropriate under the circumstances, Davis said.
Davis said McDade told him that he left it to the grand jury to consider lesser charges, and the members chose not to charge on any of them.
“The family is very disappointed,” Davis said. “The grand jury is made up of ordinary individuals. It was a new grand jury. ... To leave it to them to go through the statute does a disservice to Mr. Jordan. He deserves the prosecutor to lead the way with the possible charges.”
Davis expects to file a civil rights lawsuit against the Cobb County Police Department.
Officer Cassie Reece, a spokeswoman for the Cobb County Police Department, issued this statement:
“Police officers perform a very dangerous job on a daily basis. They are forced to make split second decisions under tense and rapidly evolving circumstances. We are pleased with the grand jury’s ruling in this case.”
In an e-mail, McDade says the grand jury took 10 minutes to make its decision after it reviewed the evidence.
“The GBI [Georgia Bureau of Investigation] did an exhaustive investigation into this shooting and made no finding of wrongdoing by the officer,” McDade says in the e-mail.
“The Grand Jury examined the entire set of circumstances, met with witnesses, including a civilian eyewitness, and concluded that the officer’s conduct was totally justified.”
McDade goes on to explain that the “the GBI enhanced the video of the shooting, and it clearly shows Mr. Jordan acting as if he were digging in his pocket for something and then raised his hand as if he had something in it and pointed it towards the officer as if he held something.”
McDade adds: “Civilian witnesses reported unequivocally that the officer gave repeated, loud, clear commands to Mr. Jordan, which he ignored, prior to the shooting.”
THE STORY SO FAR
* Previously: On July 5, 2007, Cobb police Officer William Wise tried to pull over an SUV. The driver, Tyciris Jordan, 30, drove into Douglas County. Wise shot Jordan a few moments after he got out of the SUV.
* The latest: Douglas County District Attorney presented the case to a grand jury on May 30. The grand jury did not indict Wise.
* What’s next: An attorney for Jordan’s family expects to file a lawsuit against the Cobb County Police Department.
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution