Jury acquits Lonnie Shaw in 2016 incident in which he was shot by Peach County deputy
A jury has acquitted a midstate man of charges in connection with a 2016 incident in which he was shot by a Peach County sheriff’s deputy.
Lonnie Shaw was found not guilty Friday night of aggravated assault on a peace officer and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, his Atlanta attorney Torris Jerrel Butterfield said.
“It was a tragic but avoidable shooting is what we explained to the jury,” Butterfield said. “Lonnie Shaw had no reason to know or believe that police were outside of his home. ... The jurors saw that just hours before the police got there he had someone trespass on his property.”
Shaw never pointed his gun at the deputy, and deputies overreacted when they saw the gun, Butterfield said.
About 3 a.m. May 31, 2016, Brandon Williams and Deputy James Perry knocked at the Shaw residence at 50 West Valley Drive off Ga. 96. Shaw’s stepson had shown up an hour earlier at the Medical Center of Peach County, Navicent Health, with a gunshot wound to the leg.
When Shaw opened the door, Williams started to ask him about his stepson, but before he could do so, Shaw brandished a handgun, and pointed it at Williams, according to authorities.
But Dawn Shaw, who was standing next to her husband when he was shot, has said that her husband never raised his gun and never pointed it at the deputy. Lonnie Shaw was wounded in the upper torso. His liver, kidney and bladder were damaged, his wife said.
Butterfield said that 911 dispatched deputies on misinformation and that deputies made multiple mistakes including not identifying themselves and failing to display lights and sirens.
“Considering all those facts and circumstances, he simply didn’t know who was outside,” Butterfield said. “So when he grabbed his gun to check to see what was out there and who was out there, that is when this unfortunate shooting occurred. But he never, ever pointed a gun at the police officer.”
Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke said this via a statement emailed to The Telegraph:
“While we respect the jury’s verdict, we stand by the evidence we presented in this case. Mr. Shaw is fortunate to have his freedom, and that his injuries weren’t more severe after he chose to answer the door holding a gun knowing police officers were on the other side.
“Our men and women in law enforcement have a right to protect themselves so they can return home to their families each night. Intentionally bringing a gun to greet these officers could have resulted in the loss of multiple lives. I am grateful no one died.”
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese texted this statement to The Telegraph:
“Our judicial system is not perfect but is the best legal system in the world. The jury has spoken on this matter and a verdict has been rendered. I sat through the entire trial and saw nothing to change my mind that Deputy Williams did what he felt he had to do. I support that decision.
“It is impossible to duplicate in a courtroom what these young officers face everyday. They have to make decisions in a split second that determines if they get to go home or not. The courts and the Monday morning police have years to analyze if the officer made the right decision.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 8:48 PM.