No charges for Douglas County deputy who shot speeding suspect, civil suit pending
By: A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy will not face charges after shooting a man accused of fleeing from authorities during a November 2023 traffic stop in Lithia Springs for excessive speeding. A grand jury voted last month not to move forward with charges against the deputy who shot 36-year-old Cameron Hunt in the chest moments after he crashed his car.
Hunt’s attorney, Graham Schofield, claims body camera video of the incident shows the shooting that almost took his life was not justified. Schofield, says his client was headed to a gas station the night of Nov 19, 2023, when deputies clocked him going 113 mph in a 70 mph zone on Interstate 20 near Thornton Road and initiated the stop. Hunt lost control of the car as he tried to slow down.
"Mr. Hunt was running an errand for his mother…at the time that this deputy shot Mr. Hunt, he was in an overturned vehicle in a ditch on the side of the road," he said. "He’s in a vulnerable position, he’s just been involved in a rollover accident."
Airbags in the car deploy. In the video, the Douglas County deputies can be seen confronting Hunt with guns drawn.
Seconds after deputies issue their commands, video appears to show him raising both hands and Schofield says a deputy, who recently joined the force, shot Hunt in the back.
"Why’d you shoot?" the supervising officer can be heard saying.
"He went like this," the deputy replied.
From there, responding officers try to render aid before an ambulance takes Hunt to the hospital.
"This bullet, it pierced Mr. Hunt’s chest…it nearly killed him. The bullet ended up being lodged within an inch of his heart," Schofield explained.
Officers can be seen searching the car for a weapon but do not appear to find one.
Hunt was charged with speeding, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, failure to maintain lane and fleeing. After being released from the hospital, he was taken to the Douglas County Jail, where he remains in custody.
Schofield says a week after the incident, investigators with the GBI found a rifle inside the vehicle, which he faces additional charges for. He denies it belongs to his client.
"He had no weapon in his hands, he had no weapon in his immediate vicinity and deputies shot him nonetheless," he added.
Schofield says they are now in the process of filing a civil lawsuit against the sheriff’s office.
In response to a request for comment, Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine issued the following statement:
"As with all officer-involved shootings in Douglas County, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated this matter and provided our office with a case file. Our office thoroughly reviewed the investigation and presented the case for the grand jury’s consideration. The District Attorney’s Office presented the totality of the evidence to the grand jury, including calling witnesses and footage of the incident. The grand jury voted to no bill the case, and their vote is the conclusion of the matter."
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment. It did not respond to questions regarding the employment status of the deputy involved.