Ex-officer indicted in fatal shooting

DECATUR, Ga. --- A former suburban Atlanta police officer was indicted Thursday on felony murder charges -- the only charges brought so far against officers linked to a spate of deadly police-involved shootings in 2006.

Former DeKalb County officer Torrey Thompson was indicted in the September 2006 shooting death of Lorenzo Matthews, 21, who was shot after running away from officers investigating an armed robbery.

Officers' actions were deemed "justified" in the other shootings probed by a separate grand jury.

"This is not about sending a message," said DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming. "It's about making sure justice is done."

Mr. Thompson's attorney, William Atkins, said he was confident his client would be cleared.

"He's a good man who did his duty -- and that's all he did," Mr. Atkins said. "He shot a fleeing violent felon who he reasonably believed was holding a weapon."

The Matthews shooting has long been a flashpoint for critics who say the suburban Atlanta department is too aggressive and haphazard with its use of deadly force.

Mr. Matthews was one of 21 people fatally shot by police officers in 2006 -- four times the number of people killed in the county by police the year before.

At one point, that year's toll from officer-involved shootings rivaled that of New York City and Los Angeles.

DeKalb County prosecutors soon formed a special grand jury to investigate the shootings.

It concluded in March that the Matthews shooting was unjustified and that Mr. Thompson should be investigated for criminal prosecution.