Pennington takes ‘full responsibility’ for Kathryn Johnston killing
No one is more hurt than APD chief, not even the innocent woman his officers killed.
Just six weeks before he’s scheduled to be replaced by the city’s next mayor, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington has at last publicly apologized for the police killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston. Johnston was gunned down on November 21, 2006 while defending her home from police officers executing a bogus drug warrant..
“I take full responsibility for what happened,” said Pennington to a memorial gathering at Lindsay Street Baptist Church, not far from Johnston’s former home.
It’s not at all clear what Pennington means by “full responsibility.” Responsibility for the killing? The cover-up? For not cutting short his vacation and returning to Atlanta immediately upon finding out his officers gunned down a 92-year-old woman in her home? Is he going to resign? Is he going to lock himself in jail as penance? Is he going to return the three-years of city paychecks he’s been drawing since the killing?
I know. I know. I probably shouldn’t be too hard on Pennington. After all, it’s clear the guy’s hurting a lot inside. As he explained at the memorial yesterday, “we went through some difficult times and no one felt it more than I did.”
Did you catch that? NO ONE felt it more than Pennington. The only thing that hurts more than getting shot five times is being a lousy police chief.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)