THIS PRESS CONFERENCE WAS CANCELLED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED WHEN COMPLAINT CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE PUBLICLY DUE TO AN “ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION” WITH MINOR’S NAME INVOLVED.
Smyrna, Georgia –Ms. Cajun Snorton, fiancée of Nicholas Thomas (killed by Smyrna Police, March 24, 2015), and mother of Thomas' child, filed a Federal Lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, on Wednesday, March 22, 2017.
The lawsuit is Snorton vs. Owens, et al 17-CV-103.
Named in the lawsuit are the City of Smyrna, Smyrna Police Officer Kenneth Owens, Cobb District Attorney Victor Reynolds, and Kennesaw State University Police Department as defendants responsible for violating the civil rights of Nicholas Thomas leading to both his wrongful death and the subsequent cover up of the facts relating to his wrongful death.
According to a letter to Former President Obama from Thomas' father, Huey, Nicholas was executed by Smyrna Police as a result of an outstanding traffic warrant for probation violation. Media reports confirm that Nicholas Thomas, 23, was shot in the back at his job at Bob McDonald's Goodyear while police were serving a warrant for his arrest for a $175 violation. According to a police statement, Smyrna Police Sgt. Kenneth Owens fired three times into a customer's Maserati being serviced by Thomas because he was placed "at risk to receive serious bodily injury or death."
UPDATE: Since the press conference was cancelled, I posed these questions via email to organizer Rich Pellegrino:
Why has lawsuit been filed? This is filed for several reasons: a) to secure damages and therefore some degree of financial security for (Nicholas Thomas') child; b) to secure justice; c) to send a message to law enforcement everywhere that the people are tired of such abuses of power which more often than not go unchecked an unpunished.
How do you think a pro se case can be won against the government?
It was filed pro se to beat the two-year deadline however we will obtain legal representation, and the pro se complaint was prepared with legal guidance.
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| Ironically, City Hall is located where M. L.King St. intersects with W. Spring St. in Smyrna. |
I hope the family of this young man gets the justice they deserve, although it will not make up for his loss. I've read a lot of the media coverage. There was absolutely no reason for this to happen. Since when does an unpaid ticket warrant capital punishment? I saw the picture of the white car being hauled off and there were six bullet holes in the passenger side windows, two in the back and two in the front. The police sent 5 officers and a K9 unit to serve this whatever it was, ticket, warrant. They came loaded for bear and intended to kill that young man if they could. The autopsy revealed he was shot in the back. How do you get up in the morning and think to yourself, My, I think I'll kill some innocent person today? Personally, I believe that all police officers should be screened for psychopathy. Police work seems to attract psychopaths. We don't need this kind of thing and trust will never be restored between police and the people while it goes on, not to mention it does not help race relations. Shame on that officer. If he still has a conscience, I hope it haunts him every day and eats into his very soul for the rest of his life. And I hope their lawyer, Mawuli Davis, scores a mighty victory for this bereaved family. God bless them and look over them and keep them safe. Signed: A white person who hasn't lost her mind. We're not all nuts. God bless.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the deal with the city of Smyrna?? Why didn't they try to resolve this before the family had to sue? If they had reached out to the bereaved family, treated them with dignity and compassion, and offered them a fair and decent settlement, this might not have gone to federal court. But you can't just brush stuff like this under the rug. They left the family no alternative. IMHO, they should fire that administrator. The situation was greatly mismanaged. Hope the mayor of Smyrna is dusting off their checkbook. Please keep us posted on this story. A citizen.
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