they need some of those rubber slugs or bean bags.

but i'm glad i'm not a cop.

Tough job, no doubt. But so many are into the ninja Special Forces attitude. And they are backed by the "you must have been guilty of something cause the police stopped you" people. Remember the pictures of the police stopping cars while searching for the Snipers last year? Dressed in ninja outfits. That's not policing, that's tactics for controlling a conquered people.

Maybe, there is more to the story, but it don't look good. Especially without a weapon.
Glad it wasn't me because as a concealed carry, I would have been armed and the law would have used that fact to justify killing me.

I don't know what to say, Chuck. On one hand, I have no sympathy for a suspect who doesn't co-operate. But that is tempered by my natural American wariness of a police state.

Full disclosure: as you know, I work for a law-enforcement agency, but I am not a certified officer. I am around cops all day long, and there are a lot of 'em who are gung-ho to the point of stupidity. I will grant you that a potential Gestapo would find willing recruits in this country.

But the vast majority of cops are just like you and me, when it comes to politics and common sense. The difference is, any cop is bound and determined to go home at the end of his shift. Anything that looks like a him-or-me situation is hairy, and they are getting more frequent.

I wish I had an answer.

I agree, Stoney.The vast majority are a dedicated bunch. In my mind, this is the fault of the War on Drugs and a quick trigger finger unless it was an accedental discharge. But the story has shifted to much for that excuse to be accepted in all quarters.

And, yes, I do think that race played a factor in the chain of events. On both sides. I've often told 2 that if I had been black, I would have been dead or in prison a long time ago. I don't tolerate mistreatment well. The overall Black community has it's share of blame in this mess as well.

This is the same law agency which surrounded a church on Palm Sunday and searched the churh during worship service for a church member who had an outstanding traffick citation.... The head of this department is a certified a--hole, and now he is desparate to reach out to the african-american community because he knows his policies have created a true police state, and now he is afraid....

I hope the "black leaders" don't run off the whites in their rightious indignation. To many are already trying to turn it into a black-white thing
There are whites, like me, who are just as outraged. Color not mattering.
Some of the talk is becoming quite heated.

This shouldn't be a race issue, unless the murder is a bigot, and if he is that mean people within the agency knew it. Law enforcers aren't above god or above the law. Cops [all agencies] protect their own, so who's going to protect the citizens. It's alway aggressiveness, now its no following orders. It's only the three passengers that survived, the shooter, and the other cops on the scene [the shooter's protection], and GOD, knows what went on. It's been over a month, as far as the investigation, with top lawenforcement agencies, but the public don't have that right to know details about the case. Come on
Georgia, lets be fair and uphold the law just like in the law books. At least prove to America that we're not traveling backwards, and race was not cause, so race won't become the issues. I want to visit my family living in Columbus, GA, without my life or my family lifes being on deathrow on the highways or streets. We the people of the United States can't spank our kids for not obeying, but a cop can shoot a citizen for not obeying. Something wrong here people!

What? Another unarmed-professional-never-had-a-record-upstanding-honest-black family man shot and killed by a (law-upholding-perfect record) officer? This can't be! Not in the good ole US of A. Especially not in one of our southern good-ole-boy states! Noooo! This is clearly an isolated incident. Such and awesome perfect- record-holding-weeeellll-trained veteran officer chose the only, and don't forget best, possible option he had. ..........................
"You People" always want to make this a race "thing". What's wrong with you? Don't you see that white people are being beaten every week...hell...everyday by law enforcement officers. As a matter of fact I've even heard that Kenneth Walker and friends are actually white. "You People" are just trying to draw the attention to yourselves as usual, to have something to complain about!
THE REAL DEAL!!!!...................
Oh, how tired I am of these same lame excuses and so-called investigations. I already know the outcome of this one like the thousands of other ISOLATED incidents .....NOTHING an NO JUSTICE!!

Why has this case not made national news? Or did I miss it?

We kick your ass? I thought it was to protect and serve. That is alot of BS.

"On one hand, I have no sympathy for a suspect who doesn't co-operate."

I have sympathy for any murder victim, regardless of their circumstances. Your comment is akin to saying that "I have no sympathy for a rape victim who was wearing a short skirt."

The bottom line is that the police relied on an informant most likely trying to work out a good deal for himself, and who had every reason to lie. Then relying on the dubious word of the informant, the Yukon was stopped and its occupants detained. This stop resulted in a murder, for which the killer (if found guilty) should be put to death. I am appalled that the killer is free to walk the streets, leave of absence or not. He is a danger to society (as evidenced by the fact that he shot a defenceless human being in the head)and should not be given special breaks because he is a policeman. If anything, his status should cause him to be held to a higher standard.

Well, I hate to say it, but race is always an issue here in the United Stated. I read an article in the Houston Chronicle about two weeks ago and the bottom line was something like this...white teenager are six times more likely to have sold drugs and three times more likely to have used drugs than their black counterparts (high school seniors); however, most (over 90%) of the convictions for drug related crimes are black men...I hate to tell ya, but it is a race issue. I read another article that stated that here in Texas, black men are met with force by police 100% more times than our white counterparts. That's bad when we make up only about 18% of the population. I hate to say it, but the cop will probably get off free, because he is white and the victim is black. It has been proven that even an offense caught on tape against a black man is still no reason for convicting a cop.

Bottom line here is that minorities need to become educated voters and active participants in our flawed judicial system. This is the only way to foster fairness in this great bias land of the USA.

I am a retired LEO who worked in a Tactical Unit. It is a difficult job. But it seems like something went real wrong! Without many facts it seems like the Deputy more than likely had his finger on the trigger. He may have stumbled or in the act of "pulling" the subject from the vehicle, he cause a sympathetic nervous system response. In other words, if his finger was on the trigger and he did n ot intentionally pull the trigger, in pulling with one hand(say by pulling the citizen from the vehicle or if her stumbled and grabbed something or someone to break his fall) he caused the other hand to do the same action. This caused the weapon to discharge. The problems, as I see them, are that the victim was shot in the forehead and the weapon discharged twice. It is not likely that SNS response would have caused the that. It must be noted, however, that the weapon was alledged to be on full auto. If that is the case, departmental policy not withstanding, it should not have been!
There is much information necessary to really make a clear decision about culpability. We were not there and until all the facts are revealed we won't know. Armchair quarterbacking and jumping to conclusions is harmful to the family, the community and to the Department. Remember, this really could have been an accidental shooting.
I truly understand the uproar. I am an African American who has been subject to unsubstantiated car stops. I know how it feels to be on the other end eventho' I carry a badge. I am careful and insightful. I have shared this info with my sons and their friends and other family members. Because I want them to survive. I am sure that this issue almost never comes up in white american conversation but it probably should. They are not immune because it doesn't happen as much to them as it does to minorities. That is why I was happy to see that the entire community was enraged about this incident. Public awareness is a necessary element. Let's all try to exercise patience and pray for the coninued safety of our communities and for those who put their lives on the line to ensure it.

To Mr Rick B - With indiviauls on the ground on their bellies, why would the finger not be along side the trigger gaurd instead of resting on the trigger? ( I am by no means an expert) If the likelyhood is an accidental discharge (based on your description of potential events) then why have you finger rest on the trigger if the risk of possibilities is so great.
Thank you.

Please pardon the grammatical errors.

How dangerous can one be when a policeman has a gun a few inches from his face? Couldn't the policeman hit him across the head with the gun at that point instead of shooting him in the forehead? Some whites are still afraid of Black men. This deputy has no business on the street with a gun if his answer to "a Black man NOT obeying ORDERS is to shoot him twice-once through the forehead." Something is exceedingly wrong with that picture. I weep for all Black men all across the USA who think they have arrived and find that as much as things have changed, the more the are the same. Let's not stay complacent; let's fight for the freedom that is ours--the same freedom as the white man. Here, your President is offering freedom to illegal aliens when we cannot drive down the streets of America without being treathened with guns by those who we hire to "protect and serve," not to "kick ass."

Before I start my heart goes out for the Walker family it is a very bad situation. I have a big problem with both sides of the story! I have been keeping up with all the articles on this site. I think it is a very big injustice by the police task force!!! We all know that a big cover up is in progress!!!! (etc: the video tape). We all know the out come. The police officer will have a desk job and the Walker family will be compensated. They (police) use the stall tactic till everything settles down and time passes. I have read the report from the sheriff on this site.Don`t know how true to form it is but did Mr Walker know Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall?
Is it the SUV that Mr Walker was in really at the apartment of Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall? The report claims the SUV left and came back? That also the left rear passanger had a plastic bag when he went up to Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall apartment. The lawyer for the passanger said" it was a DVD player". Then the other 3 passangers went up stairs for about 15 minutes. Then return to the SUV to leave. Is there a video tape of this taking place? Something is not right. The problem I have here is did the police lose track of the SUV during this sting and then found the SUV of the same color Mr Walker was in? I wish 1 of the passangers would come online and be VERY HONEST of what happen at the complex. If they knew Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall where drug dealers? What was the purpose of leaving and coming back to the apartment of Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall? Was Mr Walker just along for the ride having no idea what Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall were drug dealers?I don`t know the ages of the other 3 passengers but I have a problem with 39 yr old grown married man with a 3 yr old daughter at home and he is rolling with his boys on a Wednesday nite to return a DVD player!!!!! Something is not right. When I 1st heard the story I thought it was just a random drug check of a SUV on a Highway that went bad. They do alot of racial profiling here in Texas and Louisiana!! I have a 21yr old son. I tell him always think of your surroundings and who your friends you choose to be with!!! If you know 1 of your friends are on the DL
need to let it go!!!! Don`t allow yourself to be put into a bad situation. I`m just going by what I have read in the police report by the sheriff. Please the other 3 passangers of the SUV come correct about the purpose of having to go to Darrell Jackson and Thomas Randall apartment that nite!!! If not for the public do it for the Walker family!!! They should at least know!!!

I agree with Very Confused. Where is the surveillance tape of the apartment complex...lost along with the videotape from the patrol car? Wouldn't a surveillance tape or at least still pictures be needed to prove their case in court? A close up of a license plate, pictures of the people entering and exiting the premises...I'm no detective, but if I was gathering evidence to have someone arrested, I would think that more than my memory and my word would be required. Bottom line, there was probaly some reason other than the delivery of a CD player that put Mr. Walker and his friends in the midst of a bad situation, but the fatal shooting of an unarmed man can't ever be justified.

I'm an American citizen and right now I live in Spain. There isn’t a lot of this type of mess here. These occurrences where people are getting killed by police officers without reasonable cause are getting seriously out of hand. Talk about a "War on Terror." There is reality for black men of being stopped by police and getting killed. What kind of life is this? It is true that white families don't have to experience this sort of injustice as we do. There are no cases in the news in which four white males are pulled over by a task force, made up of all black men, and one of the white males is killed. The truth is, there is fear. This fear is foundational in what is going on in the American society. America still fears the potential of a black male. ONE BLACK MALE! It fears worse a Black MAN! A Black man in the white house would change everything the country has ever known. A task force made up of black men would require white people to call upon the help of Black people. I guess the most appalling thought is that we aren't sure whether a Black president, or an all Black task force will ever really exist. We've been in a position of calling upon task forces made up of all white racists with itchy trigger fingers for so long that we are comfortable with it and essentially don't have the resources available in power areas, i.e. political offices, judgeships, sheriffs, when we need someone to call upon. We aren't going to be given anything we don't know how to get. We have to learn that we deserve all that this country has to offer and we'll learn to take it if it isn't automatically given. Many of us refuse to enlist in the US Military, Police offices, Political offices and the like because, "there are hardly any blacks in those positions." There is change in the wind, all we need to do is reach out and apprehend it just as we have been apprehended and still are apprehended in this unjust society. As much as we want society to change, we must also change. Our recognition is our stepping-stone. We are being recognized for our achievements as business executives, owners, political figures, and more. The time is coming in which our recognition will have fulfilled its due. In turn, we must not see it as an opportunity to become more than our fellow nation men, or else we might as well pretend they possess weapons of mass destruction and begin the war today. All the killing might have to go down in the record books as being just more needless death of innocent men, sick but a potential reality. Imagine the future. How will we be seen by our descendents 100 years from now? Will they view us as the Native American Warriors who physically fought, almost to extinction for something they believed in? We must fight, but we must fight with our resources. There is a national call to infiltrate all aspects of society that are typically seen as “White” institutions. This is our time for claiming reparations. This is our form of reparations. It won’t be given to us. Apply to Yale, Harvard, Howard, Cal. Berkeley, USC, Stanford, or Princeton. Obtain jobs in the US Military, local police stations, or work to gain political office. Be what you believe that position requires, and make this country and world a better place. Become that task force member standing behind the MP5, or even better that sheriff who makes the final call or decides what investigation information is released to the public, make that decision under the pressure of the moment. Implement plans with in your unit to better deal with what you know (our people). This is a solution, and with this solution we cancel out the possibility of these killings being racially motivated. People ask where are the leaders of today, where are the Malcolm Xs, where are the Martins, where are the Ali’s. We are the leaders of a new generation. We are. We’re not one, but many. The media pokes statistics at our race and the trouble we have with overcoming black on black crime, but let it be realized. We are people coming together for common goals, most importantly, the essence of these goals: Equality!

feb.04
A O S A

It is a mess. Like someone else previously said, race is still a big player in America. No wonder people in the Eastern hemisphere hate Americans. We cannot even get along with each other. We put ourselves up so high and look down on others.

You can see evidence of American intelligence by the people we voted for to run our government.

My prayers and sympathy go out to the Walker family. This country is really screwed up. The lack of regard for human life and equality still exists and is very hurtful to me. This is not what God intended. He gave us free will to make decisions and choices and it is up to us to make the right decisions and choices, afterall, we are the ones who have to deal with the consequences at some point in our lives. Justice most likely will not be served to the police officer who used excessive force in the Walker case, but you best believe that he will live some form of HELL in his life be it now or thru his own death. We all must pay for our sins as it is written in the Bible. In my 38 years of life I have drawn one conclusion that no MAN is physically or mentally capable of running this country, this world or this earth. As humans we are imperfect and some are just down right hateful and into selfish gain, as the current U.S. adminstration. I am an African-American female who happens to be proud of being born of this decent. We as a people are true survivors because we know and have known nothing but struggle and obstacles thru out our existence. If each and everyone of us viewed these struggles postively we would understand that it is those struggles that allow for strength and character and helps us to withstand and handle adversities of any kind. My only saddness today is that most of us do not see this instead a lot of us go on tearing down and killing one another along with the race haters to the brink of extinction. If we all would take that same negative energy toward one another and band together positively we could be awesome. That is the kind of energy that would solve world domination problems, conquer all hatred, and build a better society. I hope we take this horrible event (the Walker case) and find the positive in it to aid in our continuing struggle to do what is morally right and get others to do what is morally right by us and all who share this country, otherwise we will end up living like third world countries where survival on a daily basis is the name of the game. Can anyone feel my PAIN?

That could've been me or you in that SUV. Change the town name to anywere usa. There has been a war on us for the last 3 decades. It started when we started to move into the inner cities. Rolling 4 deep in the inner city has always been a sure way of getting pulled over. I'm 46 years old and I grew up in Chicago. My most recent altercation with law enforcement was only 2 years ago. I was alone driving near a strip mall and got pulled over. Why? cuz I'm a brother, a black man. Cooperation is the key when getting stopped by "The man". If he says raise your hands, you try to touch the sky. If he say's don't move, then freeze in your footsteps, and most importantly if he says' Shut the f%#& up, then don't say a word. If you rollin with a homie who is with another homie, in a Land Rover with the high profile rims and such, you pretty much can bet you are going to get pulled over and pray that every one else cooperates. Kenny B. Walker was many of us, clean cut, educated, responsible brother in the wrong place at the wrong time. God rest another black mans soul. He's in a better place than Columbus Georgia.

First of all my prayers go out to the entire Walker family. I only knew Kenny casually. He seemed to be a good man. I also had the privilege of working with his wife, Cheryl, years ago. She's a wonderful person and a very strong sister. When asked by the media if she thought this was a racial issue, Mrs. Walker responded that she didn't think four white men would've been pulled from their car and treated like these brothers. I would have to agree with her. No one should ever have to endure this kind of tragedy.

I've lived in Columbus for most of my life. I am a 38 year black husband and father. I travel that same stretch of interstate almost everyday. Every time I pass the spot where this shooting took place, I realize that it could have just as easily happened to me. I feel you "Could of been me".

"Very Confused", you seemed to imply that by going out with friends, he was somehow neglecting his family. I don't think that was the case at all. Your subtle implication was unfair. It's been reported that these gentlemen had a tradition of going out for dinner and drinks on Wednesday nights. Most of the people I've talked with say he was a good husband and father. He spent a lot of time with his family. I've also heard that his daughter went almost everywhere with him.

Most of the people I've talked with (black and white), are shocked this happened here. Sure we have our share of problems, but for the most part, Columbus is a nice place to live. It's a progressive southern city. There are minorities in leadership roles in local government and business. The appointed chief of police is a brother. The publicly elected Sheriff is white. I think he has done a decent job until now. I have several friends who are deputies in his department. He dropped the ball on this one. It's been more than two months and the Walker family still does not know exactly what happened. The GBI and FBI are conducting investigations. The GBI's report is supposed to be forwarded to the local District Attorney on Feb.20.
Let's pray that justice is served.

The truth of the matter is that we would like to believe that in this day and age it wouldn't be a matter of race, however, this day and age has only changed the names. Say what you will, statistically had the occupants of that Yukon been white they would have looked like they were entitled to be in that vehicle and would not have been stopped on any highway, whatever reports had been made. My husband is a 6'4" very slim black man on his way to work one morning and the police were supposedly looking for a black man wearing a sweat shirt and running shoes about 5'5" suspected of robbing a little store, they detained and searched him inspite of the fact that he was wearing a $450.00 black suit and tie with very nice $200.00 black leather shoes and a brief case not even five minutes after the robbery, and what did they say to him, you fit the description of a suspect that we just got on the radio.

I am a 6'4", educated, professional, articulate, well-dressed African American male and I just happen to drive
an expresive, black SUV. With all of this going for me, you would think that I should not have a care in the world. However, it is because of these attributes that I harbor a fear that I could be subjected to the same fate as Mr. Kenneth Walker. Are all races of man in this country prone to this type of psychological baggage? I think not! Think about it.....Maybe we should all file a class action suit against the symbols of our society that help to perpetuate such damage to our psyche.

I think he is a fat bull headed racist who needs to get his ugly fucked up ass locked up in jail. then he should be cut in half with a chainsaw. "hey, deputy, i'm looking for you,cause once i find you, you're dead."

Kenneth i aggre with you, lets team up. I've got a very effective chain saw. I'm also a very educated, college degree acquited doctor. "Deputy, i've got my eyes on you also, just like Kenneth."