Families React to MPD Officer Arrest
Families of both the victim and the officer react to the news of Officer Aaron Smith's arrest after the shooting death of Greg Gunn.
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A solemn day for 23 year old Aaron Smith and his family.
Their attorney Mickey McDermott says his client is not guilty.
“We believe completely that officer smith is innocent,” said McDermott in a press conference.
McDermott says they believe Officer Smith encountered a dangerous suspect that night in Greg Gunn.
“Mr. Gunn fled and used force against this officer, threatened the life of this officer and citizens of this community.”
McDermott says Officer Smith was just doing his job as he was trained to do.
And he believes the city felt pressure from the Gunn family to appease them.
“We believe these charges were brought to prevent public unrest. That makes the decision to arrest this officer political and not legal,” said McDermott.
However, for the Gunn family, after a couple of days of peaceful protests calling for justice for Greg Gunn, the news of Smith’s arrest came as a pleasant surprise.
“God turned it around and made it good. I don’t care how man do… God has the last say so,” said Greg’s mother Nellie Ruth Gunn.
Moving forward, they say they will remain faithful to their pursuit for truth and justice.
“And we are going to have faith in God, that God will guide every move and every step. And not only that, we are going to pray for the officer also in this case,” said family friend Jamel Brown.
The funeral for Gunn is set for 2pm Saturday at True Divine Baptist Church.
