Officer hit by truck in Clayton County

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Clayton County Police say an officer was seriously hurt when he was struck by a pickup while responding to a call Wednesday afternoon.

The officer was responding to a suspected burglary at an empty building that used to be a K-mart on Old Dixie Rd near Interstate 75 at about 12:30 p.m.

According to Clayton County Police Major Rick Webster, the officer was hit and injured by a black Chevrolet pickup fleeing the building as officers approached the building on foot.

The truck tried to leave the parking lot by driving through some bushes onto an entrance ramp to I-75 northbound. The pickup's rear bumper got caught in the bushes, preventing it from getting away.

Police said the truck's passenger fled by foot into some nearby woods and was caught, while the driver also fled on foot and is still being sought by police.

Webster said the officer was seriously hurt with some head injuries, but was talking when he was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center.

Authorities said they believe the burglars may have been after scrap metal at the empty building.

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Driver injured by falling tree in Lawrenceville storm 'a miracle'

The Johnson Family: Otis; Ivy, 7; Kara Beth, 4; Mandy. (Family Photo)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- "Considering what happened, he's a miracle."

A wife's words of relief and gratitude, Wednesday night.

On Monday we told you what happened in Lawrenceville when a big tree-limb fell on top of Otis Johnson as he was driving his pickup truck during the storm that afternoon.

He's still in critical condition at Gwinnett Medical Center.

But his wife can now say she is optimistic that he'll recover, as she and doctors witness his almost sudden transformation for the better.

Otis Johnson had been knocked unconscious with head injuries and a broken neck from the impact of the falling tree limb.

"It was just a freak accident," Mandy Johnson said Wednesday.

Johnson was on-the-job for the City of Lawrenceville, driving down Stone Mountain Street, when the huge tree limb fell on top of his pickup truck cab, and then fell to the street.

Johnson slumped over, and his pickup kept going, for longer than a football field, finally coming to rest when it hit another pickup.

Mandy Johnson said the miracles began right away, with a witness, William Sheridan, who ran to help her husband.

"This guy kept him awake, and kept him still and calm, he very well could have saved my husband's life."

I spoke with Mandy as she was taking a brief dinner break next to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville with their two daughters, Ivy, 7, and Kara Beth, 4.

Mandy said that doctors who were so guarded in the ER two days earlier are surprised at how quickly her husband is recovering.

"He can talk, he's perfectly coherent, other than being real sleepy. Of course he's on a lot of medication. But you know, he perks up when visitors come in and say hi, he has a sense of humor, he's himself."

She is filled with gratitude for all those who have had a part in saving Otis's life, including, she is sure, all of her Facebook friends who are flooding her page with words prayer.

"I want to say thank you to everybody that's helping. To William Sheridan, thank you. To the police department, the City of Lawrenceville, the mayor, the hospital, family and friends, church, it's beautiful."

She took a deep breath and wiped away tears.

"I'm optimistic. It's scary. It's terrifying. But I see so many people showing us love and support, and the prayers -- there is no telling how many people are praying for him. Once he comes out of this and is able to look on the Internet and see all the attention he's getting on Facebook, and just the love, he's going to be blown away."

He can't see out of his left eye, yet. He was scheduled for more surgery on Wednesday, this time to fix broken bones in his face. He'll be wearing a neck brace for months.

But no one is complaining.

"He has an awesome sense of humor. He's smart, he's witty, he's the best dad and husband, he's my best friend. Everybody loves him."

All who know Otis Johnson are thankful.

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Officer, armed suspect shot in Griffin

GRIFFIN, Ga. -- The Griffin Police Chief says a city police officer was shot Wednesday evening around 10:15 p.m. at an address on Circus Street.

Chief C. Frank Strickland said officers responded to a report of an armed man in the front yard of a home. Strickland said the suspect fired shots at the officers who returned fire.

Chief Strickland said one officer and the suspect were wounded. Both men were airlifted to hospitals in Atlanta. No names were released and medical conditions were not available.

Strickland said the officer who wounded the suspect has been placed on administrative leave which is standard procedure.

The GBI is investigating along with the Griffin Police Department.

11Alive News

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Murdered teen's mom wants "Stand Your Ground" law repealed

MARIETTA, Ga -- Jordan Davis' mother wants to repeal the Stand Your Ground Laws that have been enacted in more than 25 states. Lucia McBath's son was shot and killed outside a Jacksonville, FL convenience store on November 23, 2012. The man charged with his murder claims his life was threatened when he shot the 17-year old former Wheeler High School student.

Nine days after her son was buried McBath has started a petition drive to repeal the laws federally. She said it's a mission that is helping her deal with her son's murder. "It gives me something to fight for Jordan so people know who he is and know that he was a good kid," she said.

The Stand Your Ground Law in most of the 26 states allows the use of deadly force if a person feels their life threatened or serious bodily harm. But McBath said she doesn't believe her son posed any threat to Michael Dunn, 45.

Dunn is charged with murder after he got into an argument with Davis and his friends outside a Jacksonville convenience store because he said they were playing their music too loud. Dunn claimed one of the teens flashed a shotgun but police said Davis and his friends were unarmed.

RELATED STORY | Man accused of killing teen over loud music

"How can you protect yourself with a law when you incited, created the whole situation," McBath said. "All he had to do is just ignore the boys."

Many people are comparing Davis' case to another 17 year old shot to death in Florida. But Davis' family believes there are differences between their son's death and the death of Trayvon Martin. They do believe the two cases may be linked forever because of the Stand Your Ground law. "We don't have to stand by and watch more people being affected and more people dying because of it," McBath said.

RELATED STORY | Killing compared to Trayvon Martin case

McBath said she needs 25,000 signatures to get the White House to take a look at the request to appeal. She said she knows it's an uphill battle but with the help of an internet site called "Walk with Jordan" she is hopeful that goal can be achieved.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kgrowson

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Former United States Penitentiary corrections officer arraigned on federal charges

ATLANTA -- Kenneth Holsey, a former corrections officer at Atlanta's United States Penitentiary was arraigned on Monday on multiple federal charges.

According to an official of United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates' office, Holsey, 45, allegedly gave cigarettes and a cell phone to a federal prison inmate in exchange for money, and made false statements to federal agents.

Holsey, of Riverdale, was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 27. He was released on bond.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, "Public officials who use their positions for their own financial benefit breach the public's trust. In this case, this corrections officer's duties were to maintain the safety, security, and good order of Atlanta's federal prison facility. Instead of fulfilling his duties, he allegedly abandoned his responsibilities in exchange for money, placing the safety of the prison staff, inmates, and the surrounding community at risk."

As the official reported, Holsey worked as a corrections officer at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta at the time of the exchange, and has worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 20 years.

According to the indictment, from May through September 2011, Holsey accepted a cash bribe from an inmate of the federal prison. In exchange, Holsey smuggled a cell phone into the prison for the inmate to use.

Holsey also accepted cash from the inmate and agreed to meet the inmate's girlfriend outside the prison. Holsey also smuggled cartons of cigarettes into the prison for the inmate to use.

Federal agents were investigating Holsey in early 2012, and recorded conversations between Holsey and the inmate. The federal agents were able to record a conversation between the two men that discussed smuggling a small amount of marijuana into the penitentiary.

During the recorded conversation, Holsey told the inmate that he would need to pay him in advance for the drugs, and got the inmate's girlfriend's contact information to make arrangements for the payment.

On the charges faced, Holsey could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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Detectives investigate fatal shooting near Norcross

NORCROSS, Ga. -- Gwinnett County detectives are investigating a deadly shooting that happened in unincorporated Norcross early Sunday morning.

According to police, officers responded to a shooting around 4:15 a.m., on Phil Niekro Parkway near the Atlanta Golf Center. Police identified the victim as Malia Arianne Ross Robinson, 21. She was taken to a local hospital, and died from injuries.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene of the shooting. They determined that Ross was involved with a group of people who got in an argument with another group at the Liquid Ultra Lounge nightclub on Holcomb Bridge Road.

The quarrel ended, but once again started up at a local gas station. Then, Ross' group went to the location where the shooting happened on Phil Niekro Parkway, when the second group showed up.

Detectives said the dispute started for a third time, and multiple gunshots were sent from an unknown group member. Ross appeared to be hit by one shot.

Detectives believe this shooting is related to criminal street gang activity, and are continuing investigation. They have yet to make any arrests or charges.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact detectives at (770) 513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at (404) 557-8477.

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Tripp Halstead Undergoing Surgery

WINDER, Ga. - People across the globe are sending prayers to Tripp Halstead's family, as the Winder boy prepares to undergo surgery Monday morning.

According to posts on the family's Facebook page, during the procedure, doctors will be replacing part of the boy's skull. They will also remove a feeding tube from his nose and put a g-tube in his stomach. The surgery is expected to last about four hours.

The two-year-old has been in the hospital since October, when a tree branch fell on him. Since then, he's earned a spot in many people's hearts, with more than 104,000 people following his progress on Facebook.

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Future of APS Superintendent

ATLANTA - The fate of Atlanta Public School district's superintendent rests in the hands of the school board. The board will meet Monday to discuss whether to extend Erroll Davis' contract.

Davis took over as the interim superintendent on the heels of the CRCT cheating scandal. While many applauded his efforts to keep accused educators out of the classroom, Davis recently came under fire after replacing the principal and five administrators at North Atlanta High School.

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Stockbridge Mayor's Future Uncertain

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga - Stockbridge mayor Lee Stuart is coming under fire, as several city council members try to force him out.

Council members hired attorney Chris Balch to look into allegations Stuart was misusing funds, releasing sensitive information, and creating a hostile work environment. Balch says after interviewing witnesses and reviewing 2,000 documents, he found seven violations of the city's charter.

The findings of the investigation are expected to be discussed in a special called meeting Monday morning. The council could then vote to remove Stuart from office during a regular council meeting later that night.

Stuart took office three years ago and has butted heads with the council over how to run the town of 25,000. One of the biggest clashes was over his suggestion to keep a couple dozen goats year round to eat the city's kudzu, instead of using city workers to remove it.

11 Alive contacted Lee on Sunday, but he declined to comment. However, his attorney says his client has not broken the law, and he has no intention of stepping down.

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Santa Speedo Race

ATLANTA - Runners stripped down to next to nothing Saturday in Midtown, but it was all for a good cause. About 200 people participated in the annual Santa Speedo Race , with benefits going to CURE Childhood Cancer.

The race got its start in Boston, but it proved to be so popular that it soon spread across the country. Proceeds from the event in Atlanta go to local non-profit groups. This year, organizers expect the event to raise $80,000.

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