John Ghirardini
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Police officials on Monday were trying to determine why an experienced supervisor fired shots from his police cruiser at a fleeing driver over the weekend, killing him.
“That’s the question of the hour,” police spokesman Cpl. Darren Moloney said Monday. “We’re tackling the investigation on several different fronts.”
Moloney said Buford resident Jeffrey Hugh Cantrell, 41, apparently was not armed. But he emphasized that the interior of the box truck Cantrell was driving was still being searched for any weapons, spent rounds or other evidence.
Police department policy forbids shooting from a moving vehicle “due to the inherent risks of such actions,” according to the agency’s standard operating procedure manual.
The manual also states that “shots shall not be fired at persons who have committed or are committing traffic violations, misdemeanors and non-forcible felonies.”
However, the SOP section on use of deadly force does provide a disclaimer of sorts.
“Any action contrary to this section shall place a substantial burden on the officer to demonstrate that his actions were a necessary and safe measure to prevent death or substantial harm to the officer or innocent bystanders,” it states.
“You can’t set rules for every single situation an officer will face out there,” Moloney said.
The incident occurred about 3:40 a.m. Saturday on Hamilton Mill Road near Woodtree Lane in Buford.
He said Cantrell was driving a box truck belonging to Woodstock-based Elite Trim Service but was not authorized to have the truck at the time.
Cantrell called two fellow employees asking to be picked up because he was too drunk to drive, and arranged to meet them at a gas station on Buford Highway.
While on the way, Cantrell’s friends came across a Gwinnett sheriff’s deputy who agreed to accompany them to the gas station. They called Cantrell, who said he was on his way.
Meanwhile, Moloney said, county police officers saw the truck on Thompson Mill Road. Having heard over the radio that Cantrell might be intoxicated and driving a possibly stolen truck, the officers attempted to pull him over.
Cantrell ignored the blue lights and continued onto Hamilton Mill Road. Shots were fired by one of the officers. At least one struck Cantrell. The box truck ran off the roadway at Woodtree Lane.
An autopsy conducted Saturday confirmed that Cantrell died from a gunshot, according to the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Neither police nor the Medical Examiner’s Office would release the number of shots that struck Cantrell or their locations. A police incident report was not yet filed Monday afternoon, Moloney said.
Cantrell had been jailed in the county detention center 10 times since 1997 on a variety of charges, including DUI and habitual violator, according to Sheriff’s Department records.
His latest stint in the jail was in April on a disorderly conduct charge.
Police did not release the name of the officer Monday, but said he was a sergeant with 20 years’ experience. He has been placed on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.
Photo: Jeffrey Hugh Cantrell died Saturday morning after an officer shot him.
June 13, 2006