Case of Georgia Police Killing of Black Teen to Be Re-opened

The case of the death at the hands of police of unarmed Black teen Ariston Waiters in Georgia, United States, will be re-opened after new evidence emerged Sunday revealing that he was shot twice in the back when already on the ground.

Dalton County District Attorney Paul Howard, reopened the case, according to WBSTV, after Channel 2 Action News revealed new evidence and witnesses.

The new elements proves Union City police officer Luther Lewis shot the unarmed 19-year-old Waiters twice in the back, after he already had him on the ground.

Waiters had taken off running when police arrived to break up a fight between him and another teenager, after shots were fired into the air, the new evidence reveals.

The local TV station released a special investigation in which Lewis was requested to re-enact the events that led him to kill Waiters.

The newly-released video shows Lewis' reenactment for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation strikingly contradicting the version he gave investigators immediately after the incident, and inconsistent with forensic evidence.

Furthermore, during the special investigative report, the journalists interviewed police officer Chris McElroy, the first supervisor to arrive at the scene.

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McElroy told the reporters that he's never believed the shooting was justified, based on Lewis' statements immediately following the shooting.

"He was unable to pull his hands out from underneath him. He didn't know what was under there so he shot him, twice," recounts the supervisor.

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Lewis claimed, at the time of the shooting, that he acted in self-defense. In May 2012, a grand jury opted not to indict Lewis on the recommended charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and violation of oath.

Howard, the district attorney in charge of the case, decided to reopen it after finding out McElroy was at the scene after the shooting happened, along with Lewis' contradicting re-enactment.