COLUMBUS, Ga. A state grand jury has cleared of any criminal wrongdoing a police officer who shot and killed an innocent bystander in September 2011 while he was chasing down a man who had held up MEA CU moments before.
The district attorney said the grand jury finding precludes further criminal investigation of the shooting of Tony Carr by Officer Vincent Lockhart Jr., while Carr’s pickup truck was being carjacked by the credit union robber, Alrahiem Tolbert, during his getaway. Lockhart fired the shots that killed both the robber and Carr, who investigators determined was not involved in the credit union robbery.
According to witnesses, Tolbert, then 30, held up the credit union branch and ran a few blocks where Officer Lockhart, who was in pursuit, saw him get into a vehicle at Carr’s house. When Tolbert fired shots at the officer, Officer Lockhart returned fire, hitting the robber, but also hitting the 35-year-old Carr, who had jumped into the front seat as the robber was pulling the vehicle out of the driveway. After careering out of the driveway, Carr fell out and the vehicle and the truck rolled over his legs, before crashing into a utility pole.
Both Tolbert and Carr were pronounced dead at the scene from bullet wounds from the police officer’s gun.
At first, police thought Carr may have been an accomplice in the robbery who had arranged to help Tolbert escape, but investigators rejected that scenario and concluded he was an innocent bystander who was in the process of being carjacked.
Carr’s family said it had no plans to file a civil suit in the shooting. But Lockhart’s attorney said even if they did sue the police officer could claim the immunities from civil suit afforded law enforcement officers acting in their official capacity.
Carr’s brother Michael Carr said he and his brother were on the phone together from 11:40 to 11:49 a.m. the day of the shooting. The conversation ended soon after Michael Carr heard a stranger’s voice say “Move,” after which his brother told him, “Hold on,” he said. Then he heard loud music.
Michael Carr said he believes that loud music came from his brother’s truck because he and his brother usually kept their music turned up in their automobiles.
He never heard from his brother again after that, he said.
