A naked, unarmed black man was killed by an officer in DeKalb County, Ga., at an apartment complex on Monday, 11 Alive reports.
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The New York Times has identified the victim as 27-year-old Anthony Hill. The officer responsible for the shooting death is white, Cedrick L. Alexander, the DeKalb County deputy chief operating officer for public safety, confirmed, the Times reports. According to Fox 5, Hill was an Air Force veteran and suffered from mental illness stemming from his deployment overseas.
According to 11 Alive, it all started when a 911 caller reported a suspicious man running through the Heights at Chamblee complex. "The caller reported a male acting deranged, knocking on doors and crawling around on the ground naked," Alexander said at a press conference.
Officers responding to the call found the naked man in the parking lot. "When the male saw the officer, he charged, running at the officer," Alexander added. "The officer called to him to stop while stepping backward. He then drew his weapon and fired two shots."
An eyewitness on the scene, Oscar Perez, told 11 Alive that the man appeared to be “drugged.” Speaking through an interpreter, Perez said, "I think the police officer thought he was going to attack, so he shot him."
No weapon was recovered from the scene, and now, in an effort to be transparent, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will lead the probe into determining whether the shooting was justified.
Alexander acknowledged that the officer was "equipped with all the appropriately issued police equipment, including Taser."
The officer involved is reportedly a seven-year veteran and is being placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
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