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Public commenter says lack of officers at Raymond Head Park preceded deadly July 11 shooting
Summary
A public commenter told the Board that one officer staffed a July 11 event at Raymond Head Park where a 31-year-old man was fatally shot, while downtown events had heavy police presence; commissioners pledged to review deployment practices.
A member of the public told the Griffin Board of Commissioners on July 28 that disparities in police staffing contributed to a deadly July 11 incident at Raymond Head Park.
"There was 2 events that took place on July 11 … Raymond had popped… Now because this was so highly promoted … there was now 1 police officer over there, and I was told that they asked for police officers to be present there so they would minimize any issues," Ray Mohammed said, adding that "a 31 year old black man lost his life" at the park while a simultaneous downtown event had many officers and no violence. Mohammed urged commissioners to address what he described as unequal policing of neighborhoods.
Commissioners responded in turn. Commissioner Curtis said she had received many calls about the incident and thanked the chief for community policing efforts, while Commissioner Murray told residents the commission must "protect the whole city" and not "protect 0.5 of the city." Mayor and other commissioners described the event as unfortunate and pledged to review what the city can do differently.
The record shows the speaker raising concerns and commissioners promising follow-up; the meeting did not include a formal staff report or vote to change deployment policy. No city official provided a detailed operational explanation of officer assignments during the meeting, nor did the chief deliver a rebuttal or fuller account on the record. The public comment and subsequent commissioner remarks leave the factual dispute about staffing levels and causation unresolved in this session.
The board adjourned after approving its agenda and several consent and regular items. Any operational changes to police deployment would require staff follow-up and possible future action by the commission.
