The attorneys representing Saudi Lee in the federal civil lawsuit against the city of Savannah and former Savannah Police Department (SPD) officer Ernest Ferguson held a press conference Wednesday to release the body camera footage of the fatal shooting that occurred on June 24, 2022 .
“Two years ago, Officer Ernest Ferguson of the Savannah Police Department murdered Saudi Lee,” said William Claiborne of the Claiborne law firm. “There is no other word for what happened to Saudi than murder. And since then, Officer Ferguson has done nothing but lie about why he shot Saudi. And to counter these lies, the Saudi family has decided to take the painful step of releasing the officer’s body camera footage so that the world can see the truth and Officer Ferguson’s lies can come to an end. Like Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery, Saudi Lee was hunted down and murdered here on the streets of Savannah, Georgia.
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Dorothy Lee wipes away tears as attorney William Claiborne speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, announcing the release of the 2022 bodycam footage of the shooting of her brother Saudi Lee.
Lee’s mother, father and two of his sisters flanked their attorneys, including David Utter and Christopher Murell, during the news conference in Johnson Square. “Watching my brother get killed is the hardest thing I have ever seen,” Dorothy Lee said. Saudi sister. “But people have the right to know the truth. Saudi Arabia has done nothing wrong. There was no reason to shoot him, and now the whole world can see the truth.”
The 40-minute body camera video begins with Ferguson and another officer in their patrol car looking for Lee after he left a group of people near the intersection of Gwinnett and Carter streets in the Carver Village neighborhood, according to an interview that takes place. When they stop the patrol car and confront Lee, Lee offers his wallet, stating that it contains his firearms license. Lee says something, then turns and runs, and appears to pull a gun from his waistband. Ferguson raises his taser and firearm and then fires four shots. Lee falls to the street and Ferguson retrieves a gun from the roadway. The rest of the video shows some of the officers’ attempts to administer first aid, including chest compressions, as a crowd gathers. Other parts of the video show Ferguson calling from his patrol car to report the shooting.
The civil lawsuit was filed June 21 by Claiborne, Utter and Murrell in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia — nearly two years after Ferguson shot and killed Lee — and Ferguson, an unnamed police officer, and the city of Savannah, as suspects. The lawsuit goes into intricate details about Ferguson’s killing of Lee, calling it “senseless and unjustified.” The law firm had previously called on the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office to release the body camera footage after a Chatham County grand jury indicted Ferguson on felony charges. murder at the end of September.
Keith Barber, one of the attorneys on Ferguson’s defense team for the criminal case, has maintained his client’s innocence and claimed Ferguson acted in self-defense.
At the press conference, Claiborne called on Savannah Mayor Van Johnson to “stand with and behind this family.”
City of Savannah attorney Bates Lovett and attorneys from Hunter, Maclean, Exley & Dunn previously filed a motion on behalf of the city to dismiss the civil suit on September 13, arguing that Saudi Lee’s “estate is not a genuine party whatever party. claims brought by the putative estate must be dismissed.” In the motion to dismiss, the city’s attorneys cited body camera footage of the fatal shooting as evidence.
Since the shooting, the former officer has faced several legal issues. Ferguson was fired by the SPD in October 2022 following an internal investigation into his arrest for drunken driving in Liberty County, Georgia, and allegedly lying to a Liberty County sheriff’s deputy. In February 2023, Ferguson was arrested in Columbus, Georgia for possession of methamphetamine and drug-related products while officers investigated outstanding warrants for an ongoing shoplifting case in Florida.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Lawyers release bodycam footage of Savannah officer shooting Saudi Lee
