Search fatalities

Nathain Jenkins

Age : 32

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/09/2024

Location : Walgreens store, 2670 Cobb Parkway SE

City : Smyrna

County : Cobb

State : Georgia

Agency : Cobb County Police Department (CCPD)

Officer(s) :Sgt. Adam Roberts

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during multi-officer altercation, police reportedly mistook cell phone for gun

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/09/2024, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Cobb County Police Department officers went to the Walgreens at 2670 Cobb Parkway SE looking for 32-year-old Nathain Jenkins because he had outstanding warrants. Officers located Jenkins inside the occupied store and followed him inside.
Two people reported being connected to Jenkins by telephone during his final moments. Jenkins’ stepfather, Darland Jackson, said he was speaking with Jenkins by telephone while driving into the shopping center. Jackson heard an initial series of gunshots, followed by officers shouting commands to get down, and then heard additional gunfire before the call went silent.
Jenkins’ friend Haley Glaze said she was connected to him by FaceTime and could see and hear part of the encounter. Glaze reported that Jenkins repeatedly told officers, “My hands are up,” while raising his arms. She said his shirt lifted as he raised his hands, officers then yelled that he had a gun, and police fired multiple rounds. Her account supports the possibility that the object visible in Jenkins’ raised hand was the cellphone being used for the FaceTime call, while a firearm may have been elsewhere on his body.
Cobb County police described the encounter only as an altercation and initially characterized Jenkins as armed. Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer later addressed reports that Jenkins had raised his hands and that officers mistook his cellphone for a gun. VanHoozer said he had not seen evidence supporting those accounts, but acknowledged that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was responsible for determining what occurred and that the involved officers had not yet been interviewed when he made those statements.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported recovering a handgun at the scene that belonged to Jenkins. The GBI’s public statement did not say Jenkins was holding the handgun when officers fired, pointed it at officers, fired it, or threatened anyone inside the Walgreens. The presence of a gun at the scene therefore does not by itself resolve whether Jenkins had the weapon in his hand during the shooting or whether officers mistook the cellphone for a firearm.
Cobb County officers fired multiple rounds, striking Jenkins inside the Walgreens. He was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police did not publicly disclose how many officers fired, how many rounds were discharged, where Jenkins was struck, or the names of the officers involved.
Jenkins’ family and friends held a vigil outside the Walgreens and publicly challenged the police account. His family demanded the release of surveillance video, body-camera footage and other evidence showing whether Jenkins was complying, whether his hands were raised and what he was holding when officers opened fire.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted the criminal investigation and requested information from witnesses who saw what occurred inside the store. The involved Cobb County officers were placed on paid administrative leave. Their names have not been publicly released in the available official statements or subsequent reporting.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/didnt-hear-him-no-more-dad-says-he-was-phone-with-son-when-he-was-killed-by-cobb-police/J5DFJEX6QNHV5D6GPARL5XBVFI/
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/man-reportedly-had-hands-up-when-shot-cobb-county-police-family-wants-answers
https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-08-10/gbi-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-cobb-county
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/police-shooting-cobb-county-walgreens-new-details/85-577b306d-8e54-4a84-a42f-2ea73b7ff5f0
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/death-nathan-jenkins-cobb-county-police-hold-press-conference