No Matter What the Law Says, Black People are Prohibited from Possessing Guns in White Over Black System From [HERE] The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it is independently investigating Friday's fatal shooting of a man who officers spotted walking around midday in the middle of a street. The man, Saudi Arai Lee, 31, of Savannah, lived in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred.

The officer, identified as Ernest Ferguson by a GBI Fact Sheet obtained by the Savannah Morning News, is on administrative leave and has been with the department since March 2021, Savannah police spokeswoman Bianca Johnson wrote in an email. Ferguson is white.

“Family after family are crying because of sons or their daughters shot down by this police department and it must stop,” Elder James Johnson, founder of the activist group Racial Justice Network, said at a news conference Wednesday.

“I don’t know if it’s the training or a fear of a Black man, but seems like they shoot and ask questions later, and we cannot and will not tolerate this," he said.

Black clergymen called Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter to step down and called for a federal investigation into the number of police shootings in Savannah. And he did. On Thursday Minter resigned from his post to focus on the confirmation process for his nomination to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia. [MORE]

Elder James Johnson with the Racial Justice Network said there were too many police shootings under Minter‘s watch and he is concerned about the outgoing chief potentially working for the U.S. Marshal Service. “I’ll do all I can to stop that because his record is not good in Savannah,” he said. Minter was appointed by President Brandon.

Religious leaders called into question the training of officers in the field and residents took specific issue with what they alleged is excessive policing in their neighborhood, which they say likely led to the death of Saudi Arai Lee, a 31-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

Neighbors at the press conference said they've had negative interactions with Savannah police and said they've filed complaints against officers who've repeatedly targeted them. 

Felicia Walker recalled an incident when one of her "neighborhood sons" was involved in an altercation at a nearby store. When she went to the store to see what was going on, she said an officer pointed his mace in her face. 

Officers approached Lee to speak with him, the GBI said. The agency said Lee immediately showed them his wallet, saying it contained his weapons permit, and then lifted his shirt and removed a weapon from a holster.

Lee lifted his shirt and pulled a weapon from a holster. At some point, which is not clear based upon available information, a short chase ensued and an officer shot and killed Lee. 

The shooting occurred at the intersection of Gwinnett and Magazine streets, the Savannah Police Department confirmed in a tweet Friday. 

A video shared on Facebook purportedly capturing the aftermath of the shooting and which has since been removed, showed onlookers rushing to Lee, as two officers stood near his body; they urged police to help the man whose was sprawled in the street.  

About four minutes into the video, officers are seen giving the man CPR. Commenters in the video could be heard saying the victim had a gun but did not point it at any of the officers.  

Miles said medical aid was rendered at the scene, and Lee was taken to Memorial University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy.  

GBI agents said a handgun and a holster were recovered from the scene. Results of the GBI's investigation will be given to a local district attorney’s office for review, the agency said.

"This man had a legal concealed weapons permit and still was shot down. It should never be a death sentence (for) a Black man for carrying a weapon," Johnson said.

The Savannah Morning News requested the police report, but on Wednesday afternoon, an employee in the records department said the report was still in draft mode.

Lee’s killing was the fifth officer-involved death in Savannah this year, the newspaper said.

Black clergymen called Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter to step down and called for a federal investigation into the number of police shootings in Savannah. And he did. On Thursday Minter resigned from his post to focus on the confirmation process for his nomination to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia. [MORE]

Elder James Johnson with the Racial Justice Network said there were too many police shootings under Minter‘s watch and he is concerned about the outgoing chief potentially working for the U.S. Marshal Service. “I’ll do all I can to stop that because his record is not good in Savannah,” he said. Minter was appointed by President Brandon.

Religious leaders called into question the training of officers in the field and residents took specific issue with what they alleged is excessive policing in their neighborhood, which they say likely led to the death of Saudi Arai Lee, a 31-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

Neighbors at the press conference said they've had negative interactions with Savannah police and said they've filed complaints against officers who've repeatedly targeted them. 

Felicia Walker recalled an incident when one of her "neighborhood sons" was involved in an altercation at a nearby store. When she went to the store to see what was going on, she said an officer pointed his mace in her face. 

In April 2020, 77 SPD officers filed a joint complaint with the city's Office of Human Resources “to address a series of complaints against Chief Minter and his failures to abide by both the City of Savannah’s employee standards and leadership principles.” [MORE]

The city then conducted an investigation into the nature of those complaints through its conflict resolution program. 

Walker spoke briefly about Lee, calling him one of her "neighborhood sons" and said to know him was to love him. She, along with the clergymen and neighbors, called on the Chatham County District Attorney, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Minter to hold the officer accountable in Lee's shooting.

"I have sons and I have grandsons...it could have very well been myself because I'm a licensed carrier. Enough is enough," she said. [MORE]