Deputy in fatal shooting has solid record, but was once suspended for ‘monkey’ remark

A Bibb County sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a shoplifting suspect last week has in the past been roundly commended for his compassion and solid police work. But his record also includes reprimands, the most serious being a three-day suspension for a 2010 incident in which he was said to have told people at a local child-welfare office, “Monkeys can move faster than y’all.”

An overview of Deputy Greg Ussery’s employee-disciplinary history as a law enforcement officer in Macon, which mentions the episode, was obtained by The Telegraph on Tuesday through an open-records request.

Ussery is described in police personnel files as a friendly, easygoing officer who has been praised by his supervisors and by local businesses for “bravery,” “selflessness,” and being “caring” with crime victims and their families.

A summary of his disciplinary history lists five written reprimands — including matters such as missing a court date and a fender-bender accident.

As is often routine in police-involved shootings, Ussery has been on administrative leave since a Friday altercation involving the shooting death of a suspected shoplifter. The shoplifter reportedly had taken something from a Family Dollar store at the intersection of Eisenhower Parkway and Houston Avenue.

Ussery reportedly spotted 57-year-old Larry Daniel Matthews — who officials have said matched the description of the shoplifter — a couple of blocks away on Colquitt Street, just east of Houston Avenue.

Authorities say Matthews struggled with Ussery and Ussery deployed his Taser on Matthews to restrain him, but Matthews is said to have continued resisting.

The GBI, which is investigating the case, has said Matthews, before being shot twice in the chest and killed, sprayed the deputy with the deputy’s pepper spray.

An autopsy on Matthews was completed Tuesday.

Matthews’ fatal wounds came from a 9mm Glock 17 pistol, said J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the GBI’s Perry office.

The gun is the same kind of department-issue weapon used by Deputy Ussery. Investigators were awaiting ballistics tests to confirm the bullets that killed Matthews were in fact fired from Ussery’s gun.

Results of toxicology tests also are pending, and the GBI has said those could prove helpful to determine whether Matthews had been under the influence of any drugs. Officials said eyewitness accounts of Matthews “erratic” behavior have investigators at least considering the possibility.

Ussery, 36, was hired as a Macon police officer in November 2005. He became a Bibb deputy when the agencies combined forces when the city and county consolidated.

A summary of his disciplinary history dates back to February 2008.

Though it does not go into detail, the summary notes an episode in May 2010 at a local office of the Division of Family and Children Services.

According to the summary, some people at the office claimed Ussery “was rude” and used profanity:

The complainants allege that Macon Police Officer Gregory Ussery on May 18, 2010, made a comment to them and other people. “Monkeys can move faster than ya’ll.” ... The complainants along with several hundred more people were standing in line applying for the Government Stimulus Assistance Program.

Ussery was later suspended for three days and told to take conflict-management training.

Ussery’s police work in and around the Houston Avenue corridor on the city’s southeast side has earned him solid job-performance reviews over the years.

A review of his work in 2015 that was filed earlier this year by a supervisor noted Ussery’s “great attitude, which helps keep the rest of the officers around cheerful. He has a laid back style and just takes things as they come.”

The supervisor went on to note that he “is caring. ... It shows every-time he is with a victim, their families, and with the citizens.”

In a portion of Ussery’s job review about things Ussery needed to improve on, the supervisor noted Ussery’s laid-back style and wrote: “Sometimes I feel he should be a bit more aggressive. In most situations his laid back, caring attitude is exactly what is needed, but in some cases he should be more forward.”

Last November, Ussery caught three juveniles after a foot chase from the Pendleton Homes project on Houston Avenue. A citation from a superior officer described Ussery’s “dedication and diligence.”

Last October, Sheriff David Davis wrote a letter saluting Ussery for good-work commendations from various sheriff’s office higher-ups.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Deputy in fatal shooting has solid record, but was once suspended for ‘monkey’ remark."