Georgia Cop, Torrey Thompson, Unfairly Charged With Manslaughter According to Legal Defense Fund
Source PRNOTW
ARLINGTON, Va. , Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A black Georgia police office with an impeccable record has been unjustly indicted for murder, according to a legal defense fund that has taken up his case.
David Martin , Chairman of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF: www.policedefense.org) of Arlington, Virginia , said that his organization finds the charges against Torrey Thompson to be unjustified. LELDF is providing assistance to the former Marine's legal defense team.
Torrey Thompson , 31, a former police officer in the DeKalb County ( Georgia ) Police Department, has been charged with murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, and violation of oath in connection with the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Matthews during an attempted arrest. These charges carry the possibility of a life sentence in prison.
"Officer Torrey Thompson and his partner had a confrontation with a dangerous wanted criminal wielding what they thought was a pistol," David Martin explained. "When Lorenzo Matthews refused to stop, despite constant requests, and repeatedly made threatening gestures toward the officers with what appeared to be a gun, both policemen fired in self defense. Torrey Thompson thought his partner was in grave danger and both policemen feared for their lives."
"We have concluded that the Officer Torrey Thompson was justified in using force. The Supreme Court case, Graham v. Conner (1989) states that proper use of force is justified when judged from the perspective of 'reasonableness'. Law enforcement personnel are often forced to make split-second judgments in tense, uncertain, and rapid-evolving situations. This 2006 occurrence fits that bill entirely," Mr. Martin said.
Torrey Thompson has a B.S. in criminal justice and M.A. in administration. He worked in embassy security in Cyprus and Peru , the latter during a terrorist attack in 2003. He received four commendations during his service in the DeKalb County Police Department, and he was never disciplined. He voluntarily resigned from the force in November 2006 and took a job in the Barrow County Sheriff's Office until he was indicted in July 2008 .
The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1994 to provide legal assistance to policemen who are charged for actions involving legitimate law enforcement activity. LELDF has funded numerous cases over the past 15 years. For more information, see http://www.policedefense.org
SOURCE Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund