Johnson City police accused of racial profiling in connection with Waffle House shooting

An investigation into Thursday’s shooting at Waffle House on North State of Franklin Road has some people claiming local authorities took part in racial profiling while searching for suspects.

William Hamilton was at the nearby Taco Bell restaurant Thursday morning just after the shooting took place. He and four of his cousins had left a Johnson City club and drove in two vehicles to the fast food establishment.

Three of the men were in a white Cadillac ordering food at the drive-through while Hamilton and another man were in a Mercury Milan, which was pulled up next to the Cadillac.

“We were there for maybe one minute when cops started pulling up,” Hamilton said. “They pulled out their guns and told us, ‘Freeze or we’re going to blow your head off.’ They jerked us out of the two cars and had us down on the concrete.”

According to Hamilton, the officers used harsh language with the men and handcuffed them as they lay on the ground, all the while still pointing guns at them.

“It was a scared reaction,” Hamilton said. “If you’re on your stomach, handcuffed, do you still need a gun pointed at your head?”

Hamilton believes authorities saw “a group of black guys in nice cars” and thought they had an “easy bust.”

“We weren’t even outside of the car. They did not know anything about us,” Hamilton said. “They had no cause to come after us. If it happened at Waffle House, the shooter is not going to go next door to Taco Bell and get a chalupa.

“I don’t think it’s anything like that. That’s not the way we do business here,” Lowry said. “We had information that one of the people involved ran from the Waffle House over to Taco Bell. One of the people involved was seen over at the Taco Bell parking lot.”

Additionally, police reports indicate witnesses saw three men arguing in the Waffle House parking lot just prior to the shooting and then two vehicles, one of which was a white Cadillac, leaving the scene.

“It’s not because of any race, creed or national origin,” Lowry said. “We already had (two people) shot and we try to make sure no one else gets shot.”

Lowry said what Hamilton perceived as harsh treatment might have been the officers’ attempt at protecting themselves.

“I was not there, so I cannot speak for what he heard or saw,” Lowry said. “But the first thing the officers have to worry about when there is a gun involved is their own safety.”

That’s not flying with Hamilton, who already has contacted a lawyer to help him file a lawsuit against the city.

“We didn’t ask for this. We were asking for a taco. Then they came out with their guns pulled,” Hamilton said. “They messed up, not us. And a message has to be sent. This isn’t about any money. It’s about racial profiling.”

Hamilton also filed a complaint with the Johnson City Police Department in regard to the incident. According to Lowry, that complaint has been “signed out for investigation.”

“There’s always two sides to a story,” Lowry said. “We’ve got his side and now we’re trying to get the rest of the story.”

Meanwhile, authorities continue to search for the individual or individuals responsible for shooting Joseph Swint, 18, of Macon, Ga., and Christopher Powell, 20, of Jefferson City.

An altercation in the Waffle House parking lot between the shooting victims and at least one other person reportedly led to the gunfire.

A quite normal first reaction.
Cops along with everybody else know that blacks represent 13% of population but represent 52% of inmates doing time.
Cops race sensitive or just logical?

Maybe the troops were a little more agressive than necessary, that tends to happen when police are in their pack syndrome, but it doesnt justify screaming Racial Profiling.

I'm the last one who would justify the use of too much force, but in this case there had already been a shooting, so approaching a vehicle matching the description justifies having a weapon drawn, IMO.

Nothing like having a good lawyer available when money is waiting to be collected, likely in an “out of court settlement.”

first of all, I doubt he will get a very good lawyer to take this case unless it is one supported by a civil rights group, in which case the lawyer's motivation won't be just getting a payday. If they can get someone like that they will pursue it just for the publicity.

The police have a strong enough case to tell them to pound sand. No lawyer wants to carry the expense of taking a case like this to trial where the likelihood of a large judgment is slight. There is no injury, only a civil rights claim...in East Tennessee.

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