The mother of a man shot and killed by police says she can’t understand why a grand jury decided not to indict the officer who pulled the trigger. Vakelvion Holmes staged a one-woman protest outside the courthouse where the grand jury met to raise awareness about what she calls an injustice.
“Justice for Eric is all I want. 19 years old,” Holmes shouted from a bullhorn near the steps to the courthouse recently. “I miss my son. I really do,” she said, with Eric’s 3‑year-old son restless and agitated nearby. Holmes used her voice to voice concern over the grand jury choosing not to indict the Clayton County police officer who shot her son, Eric Holmes, back in November.
“I’m going to come here, and I’m going to make sure that you guys do your jobs,” she said while looking at the windows of the courthouse. Holmes says she still can’t believe the grand jury decided the officer shouldn’t face charges. “He walked out of court. Free. With no charge, I don’t get it,” she offered. The GBI says the officer located a stolen car at a business on Commerce Road near Morrow that day. Eric Holmes was at work and came out and talked to the officer. Agents say he then jumped in the stolen car. “The next thing you know, the officer gets out with his gun raised. Get out (of) the car. Get out (of) the car. Eric did pull off, and he just opened up shots in the back,” Holmes described. Investigators say there were two guns in the car, one stolen. Police allowed the officer to resign in lieu of termination for how he handled the shooting.
Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley says she took the case before the grand jury because she believed at the time a crime had been committed. She says she is going through the grand jury transcripts and bodycam video to see if there’s something her office missed. Mosley says she is also deciding whether to take the case back before a grand jury. Holmes had a message for Mosley during her protest at the courthouse. “Tasha Mosley I thank you. I thank you too to the prosecutor. But I’m asking that when you guys go back in front of that grand jury that you explain to them the truth,” Holmes said in her bullhorn. Holmes says the truth is her son wasn’t a threat that day. “We want justice. That’s all I want,” she said. Community activist Meia Ballinger was there to support Holmes. Mosley says she can take the case before the grand jury one more time. She did not offer a timeline for when she would make a decision. Meanwhile, Holmes says she will keep protesting until someone hears her cry.