The Florida Times-Union
WAYCROSS, Ga. — City police officers who shot a man to death Friday fired after the man refused to drop two weapons he brandished and advanced on them with one weapon raised, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said Monday.
The officers were en route about 4:30 p.m. to 1013 Reed St. to a suicide threat when they were updated that the man had become combative and had damaged items in the home, Tanner said.
When the officers entered the residence, Jack Lamar Roberson started toward them “aggressively armed with two items used as weapons,’’ Tanner said.
The officers retreated and yelled repeatedly for Roberson to stop and drop the weapons, Tanner said.
The officers retreated as Roberson gained ground on them and raised one of the “weapons in a threatening manner,’’ whereupon the officers fired to prevent their being assaulted, Tanner said.
Tanner read from a prepared statements and referred any additional questions to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting.
The family of the 43-year-old Roberson asserted just before noon Monday as they have all along that he was unarmed and would not harm anyone.
“We had no weapons in this house whatsoever,’’ Roberson’s mother, Diane Roberson, said. “My gentle lamb … He kissed me every morning, made me breakfast in bed, and they said he had two weapons.”
Sitting at her kitchen table smoking, Diane Roberson repeatedly said “Two weapons.”
“I saw my son shot down,’’ and it wasn’t just one shot, she said. “It was ‘Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.’’
The family had lived at the modest home less than year having moved from Pontiac, Mich., where her son grew up and attended school, Diane Roberson said.
Also living there was her son’s girlfriend of 10 years, Alicia Herron, and their daughter, Zelphia Roberson, 8, Diane Roberson said.
Both Diane Roberson and Herron said they witnessed the shooting and asserted that Jack Roberson did not threaten the officers and had his hands raised when the officers fired.
Diane Roberson said one of the officers was backed into a corner of the living room when he fired on her son who was standing just inside the living room in a doorway that connects to the kitchen and dining area.
Reaching into a kitchen drawer and pulling out a butcher knife and another knife, Herron said they were the two sharpest objects in the house and that investigators had left them.
The only thing Diane Roberson said she had found missing was a two-prong meat fork like those used to turn meat on a grill. Roberson said she had paid $1 for the fork.
Both women acknowledged that Jack Roberson had been depressed and was upset but said he was not suicidal. They also said he had knocked over a TV as he left a room in the house but did so accidentally as he was swinging his arms.
Asked why they felt it necessary to call for help, Herron said she had seen Jack Roberson take his diabetes medication and became frightened for him.
“I saw him do this,’’ she said, pressing a cupped hand to her mouth, “I thought he might have taken too much.”
“He was not mean. He was far from mean. Loving, kind. He loved his family,’’ Herron said.
Both Herron and Diane Roberson said that they had made arrangements the same day Jack Roberson was killed to move back to Michigan.
“He wasn’t happy here,’’ his mother said.
The two officers have been placed on administrative leave, Tanner said.
Tanner cited the GBI investigation in declining to answer any questions.
Russell Mansfield, special agent in charge of the GBI’s Douglas office, said Roberson’s body was sent to a Savannah crime lab for an autopsy.
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