Atlanta, GA

Federal judge dismisses charges against Atlanta officer in 2019 deadly shooting

Published

12 months ago

June 4, 2025

Press Room

Federal judge dismisses charges against Atlanta officer in 2019 deadly shooting

article

Sung Kim (Atlanta Police Department)

ATLANTA – A federal judge has dismissed all criminal charges against Atlanta Police Officer Sung H. Kim, ruling he was immune from prosecution in the 2019 fatal shooting of 21-year-old Jimmy Atchison during a federal task force operation.

What we know:

U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown issued the ruling on Tuesday, citing both the federal Supremacy Clause and Georgia’s self-defense laws as grounds for dismissal. The decision voids a Fulton County grand jury indictment that charged Kim with felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and violation of oath of office.

“There is no genuine dispute that [Kim] reasonably believed his actions were necessary and proper,” Brown wrote. “The evidence for self-defense is so overwhelming it is hard to understand how Georgia could have brought these charges in the first place.”

The backstory:

The incident occurred on January 22, 2019, when Kim, a 26-year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department and a deputized member of the FBI’s Atlanta Violent Crime Task Force, joined a team attempting to arrest Atchison on an armed robbery warrant. According to court documents, Atchison fled from officers, first jumping from a window and then running through a northwest Atlanta apartment complex before hiding inside a closet beneath a pile of clothes.

Lawyer for ex-officer wants murder case dismissed

A Fulton County grand jury indicted Officer Sung Kim in 2022 for shooting and killing 21-year-old Jimmy Atchison during a 2019 raid. Atchison was unarmed and hiding in a closet. Kim’s lawyers have asked a judge for the case’s dismissal.

Officers, with the resident’s permission, entered the unit where Atchison was hiding. Kim ordered Atchison to show his hands. When Atchison made what Kim described as a sudden movement toward his face and chest, the officer fired a single shot, killing him. Investigators later determined Atchison was unarmed.

Kim said he believed Atchison was about to shoot him. The court found that belief reasonable, citing testimony from other officers and a use-of-force expert who agreed that Atchison’s motion constituted a “deadly force stimulus.”

Prosecutors argued Kim had acted recklessly and outside protocol, but Brown concluded Kim’s actions were consistent with his training and operational procedures.

A Fulton County grand jury indicted Kim in December 2022. The case was moved to federal court in early 2023, and Kim’s legal team sought dismissal on federal immunity grounds in March 2025.

Why you should care:

The shooting sparked public outcry and calls for accountability. Atchison’s family maintained he was surrendering when he was shot and accused officers of using excessive force. They filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit in 2020.

What’s next:

Tuesday’s decision effectively ends the criminal case and marks a turning point in a years-long legal battle that drew national attention and prompted a 2024 congressional investigation into federal task forces involving local officers.

What we don’t know:

Prosecutors have not said whether they will appeal the ruling.

Atlanta, GA

Woman fatally stabbed on MARTA train near Oakland City Station; riders question transit safety as World Cup nears

Published

11 minutes ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Woman fatally stabbed on MARTA train near Oakland City Station; riders question transit safety as World Cup nears

A man accused of fatally stabbing a woman aboard a MARTA train is now in custody, as the violent attack raises new concerns about safety across Atlanta’s transit system.

According to police, 52-year-old Margaret Swan was riding a MARTA train near the Oakland City Station on May 30 when she was stabbed to death.

Investigators say officers quickly arrested the suspect, identified as John Elijah Matthews, at the station shortly after the attack.

Swan’s ex-husband, Jerry Swan, said he was devastated when his daughter called to tell him what happened.

“I was happy they caught him, but in my mind the thought was why did he do that to such a nice person,” he said.

Jerry Swan described Margaret as a devoted grandmother who loved spending time with her family.

“She was on her way to keep one of her grandbabies when it happened,” he said.

Marta.

Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The deadly stabbing has also left some MARTA riders uneasy about safety on the transit system.

Nahsar Alexander, who says he rides MARTA every day, told CBS News Atlanta the attack is alarming.

“That was an innocent lady,” Alexander said. “If she didn’t do anything, what’s stopping someone from hurting me?”

MARTA officials say nearly 300 officers are assigned throughout the transit system to help keep riders safe. Additional officers were visible Monday at stations, including patrols on motorcycles.

The agency says security measures are also expected to increase ahead of the FIFA World Cup, when Atlanta is expected to see a major influx of visitors.

MARTA says its current security resources include more than 12,000 cameras across rail stations, buses and railcars, along with a Real Time Crime Center monitored during operating hours. Officials also say undercover officers regularly patrol stations, buses and trains.

Ahead of the World Cup, MARTA plans to activate its Emergency Operations Center during matches and fan events, deploy its Mobile Command Vehicle at key locations and partner with outsidxe law enforcement agencies for additional support.

Officials say additional train patrols and crowd control teams will also be used throughout the system.

Some riders say the increased police presence is reassuring, but concerns remain.

“Yes, but even with more police officers crime is still going to happen,” Alexander said.

Matthews is facing a murder charge.

MARTA says all staff not directly involved in operations or policing will also serve as Transit Ambassadors during the World Cup to assist riders and monitor activity across the system.

In:

Source link

Atlanta, GA

Raccoon tests positive for rabies after attacking dog in metro Atlanta

Published

10 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Raccoon tests positive for rabies after attacking dog in metro Atlanta

June 1, 2026 / 12:11 PM EDT
/ CBS Atlanta

Gwinnett County officials are warning residents to use caution after a raccoon tested positive for rabies over the weekend.

Officials say the raccoon attacked a dog near Biltmore Oaks Drive in the Bethlehem area on May 26.

Testing revealed that the animal was infected with the potentially deadly virus.

The disease, which can be transmitted through bites and scratches from infected animals, is almost always fatal in humans once symptoms occur. Those symptoms include muscle aches, fever, vomiting, and general weakness and discomfort.

The National Association of State Health Veterinarians says all unvaccinated dogs and cats exposed to a rabid animal need to be quarantined for four months and vaccinated one month before being released.

Georgia is a rabies-endemic state, which means the virus can be found in wildlife year-round. Officials say that means it’s important for residents to make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations and avoid animals that may be behaving in unusual ways. Earlier in May, a DeKalb County raccoon tested positive for rabies.

If you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or an animal suspected to have rabies, seek medial care immediately and let your provider know about the possible exposure. After that, contact GNR Public Health at (770) 339-4260 and ask for the on-call epidemiologist.

To report an animal behaving in an unusual way, call the Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement Bite Office at (770) 339-3200, ext. 5576.

In:

Source link

Atlanta, GA

Jackets Fall to Sooners in Game 6 of Atlanta Regional

Published

21 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

Jackets Fall to Sooners in Game 6 of Atlanta Regional

THE FLATS – No. 2 Georgia Tech baseball (50-10) dropped its first game of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Sunday night, falling 15-8 to Oklahoma. The Yellow Jackets saw four home runs in the outing and jumped out with the early lead, but the Sooners overcame the deficit to force game seven on Monday.

Georgia Tech plated its first two batters of the game as Carson Kerce drew a 4-0 leadoff walk and Drew Burress sent his at bat 397 feet deep to left field, putting Tech up 2-0 in the first and forcing Oklahoma to make a call to the bullpen early.

The Sooners tied the game at 2-2 off a two-run home run from Brendan Brock in the bottom of the second, but a five-spot from the Jackets in the fifth returned the lead to Tech. A bases loaded wild pitch scored Kerce and setup a two-run RBI single up the middle from Ryan Zuckerman for a 5-2 lead. Alex Hernandez found his fourth home run of the regional in the next at bat, clearing the bases and putting Tech in front, 8-2.

Jarren Advincula cushioned Tech’s lead with a sac fly in the fourth, scoring Kerce for a 9-2 lead, but Oklahoma erased its deficit and took the lead with an eight-run fourth inning for a 10-8 edge. The Sooners would add another five runs for the final score.

Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.

QUICK HITS: TEAM

GT will face Oklahoma again, tomorrow at 3 pm in a winner-take-all game seven of the Atlanta Regional.
This is the 5^th time in program history the Jackets will be playing in a 2-1 vs 2-1 game after starting the regional 2-0, GT is 2-2 in such games (wins in 1994 and 2005 / losses in 2008 and 2010).
The Jackets fall to 50-10, the best 60-game record in program history, two games better than the previous record (48-12 – 1987).
The Jackets will be looking to advance to the Super Regional round for the sixth time in program history and the first since 2006.
GT is now 3-2 against the SEC this season with wins over Auburn, Georgia and Oklahoma.
The Jackets are outscoring SEC opponents 46-35 this season.
Tech has scored 655 runs this season, the most runs scored through 60 games in program history and the most scored by any Power 4 team through 60 games in the BBCOR era.
GT’s 655 runs are the second-most in school history, seven behind the program record set back in 1987 (662). The Jackets are two runs away from setting a new NCAA record for runs in a single season in the BBCOR era – a record currently held by Tennessee (657 runs in 73 games in 2024).
The Jackets hit two home runs today, bringing the regional total to 12 and the season total of 137 – 15 more than the previous program record set back in 2010.
Tech has hit multiple home runs in all three regional games this season and 15 of their last 16 games dating back to April 28.
GT is outscoring its opponents 655-297 this season. The plus-358 margin is the largest in Division I this season and the largest in program history.
Tech’s offense is currently on pace to set program records in batting average (.357 – record is .347), on-base percentage (.468 – record is .434), slugging percentage (.640 – record is .575) and runs-per-game (10.9 – record is 10.3).
The offense has scored eight or more runs in each of the last 14 games dating back to May 3.
The Yellow Jackets are closing in on multiple NCAA records for a single season: two runs away from the BBCOR era record (Tennessee – 657 – 73 games in 2024), 19 hits away from the BBCOR era record (Vanderbilt – 770 – 71 games in 2019) and 18 doubles away from the BBCOR era record (Morehead St. / Virginia – 172 – 2015 / 2023) and 30 walks away from the BBCOR era record (Wake Forest – 424 – 66 games in 2023).
Tech’s .357 average would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .359 by Austin Peay in 2024).
Tech’s .468 OBP would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .469 by New Mexico State in 2019).
Tech’s .640 slugging percentage would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .661 by Austin Peay in 2024).
GT pitching struck out 10 batters, marking the 26th game with at least 10 Ks this season.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

Junior Drew Burress extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a 3-for-5 showing. He hit a two-run home run to open the scoring in the first inning, his program record 59^th career homer.
Burress becomes the first Power conference player of the 21^st century to deliver 40 extra base hits in three consecutive seasons (43 in 2024, 43 in 2025 and 40 in 2026). He is just the second Division I player to do so this century, also DJ Peterson (New Mexico) 2011-13.
Buress has hit 15 home runs this season, becoming just the second Yellow Jacket in program history to deliver three consecutive 15 HR seasons, along with Tony Plagman (2008-10).
He has now scored 231 runs in his career, the most of any active DI player and just one away from tying Darren Bragg (1988-91) for the fourth most in program history.
Burress holds the GT BBCOR era records for the most runs (231), RBI (187), doubles (61), home runs (59) and total bases (499). He is one base away from becoming just the fourth Jacket to ever collect 500 total bases – also Andy Bruce (506: 1988-91), Tony Plagman (513: 2007-10) and Jason Varitek (610: 1991-94).
His 187 RBI rank 12^th all-time at Georgia Tech, seven shy of cracking the Top 10.
Sophomore Alex Hernandez continued his exceptional regional, hitting a two-run home run as a part of Tech’s five-run third inning.
It was his fourth HR of the regional and 13^th of the season. Nearly two-thirds of his home runs this season (30.8 %) have come in the last three games of regional play.
Hernandez has recorded 19 RBI in his last six games, producing at least one in all six postseason games to this point.
He has now produced 21 RBI in six career NCAA tournament games – 3.5 per game.
He is up to 57 RBI this season and 126 over his career: the fourth highest RBI total by an undergraduate in GT history behind only Burress (129), Matt Weiters (139) and Mark Teixeira (program record – 145).
Junior Carson Kerce scored three runs in the leadoff spot, tying his season high for the fifth time. He has scored multiple runs in 18 games this season, the fifth most on the team.
Junior Ryan Zuckerman delivered a pair of RBI today, taking over the team lead with 79 RBI this season, the 11^th most in program history.
Zuckerman (79) and Vahn Lackey (78) are inching closer to becoming just the third duo in GT history to drive in 80 RBI in the same season, currently only accomplished by Jason Basil (83) and Mark Teixeira (80) in 2000 and Riccardo Ingram (99) and Mike Fowler (87) in 1987.
Lackey scored his team leading 85^th run of the season tonight, his 85 runs scored are the 6^th most in program history for a single season and the most recorded since Mark Teixeira set the program record (104) back in 2000.
Junior Jarren Advincula extended his hitting streak to a career best 28 games, tied with Carlton Fleming (1990) for the 2nd longest in program history and the longest since Victor Menocal set the record (30) in 2002.
He has delivered 108 hits this season, the fourth most in program history and the most since 2000 (Richard Lewis – 109).
He has gotten a hit in 43 of his last 44 games dating back to March 10 and 56 of 60 games overall this season.
His batting average now stands at .430, the highest in Power 4, the 2nd best in the nation and the 7th highest in program history. It’s the second highest batting average by a Yellow Jacket this century and the highest since Chandler Simpson hit .433 in 2022.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

Sophomore Jackson Blakely made his 13^th start of the season, pitching 3.0 innings before running into trouble in the fourth.
This loss snapped a 10-game winning streak in games started by Blakely this season, bringing the teams record to 10-3.
His ERA is now 3.36 over 64.1 innings of work with 69 strikeouts – all the 2^nd best on the team.
Freshman Cooper Underwood made his 13^th appearance of the season and his seventh out of the bullpen. He would give up one earned run on a solo home run. This was only the second time he has allowed a run in his seven relief appearances.
Senior Brett Barfield produced a scoreless fifth inning in his 23^rd appearance of the season. That lowered his ERA to 4.70 for the season over 23.0 innings of work.

Up Next

Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.

Source link