Timothy D. Statham

Date: 2/18/21              Location: Athens, GA                        FACTORS (1,2,4,5,8,10,12,14,19)   

Name: Timothy Daniel Statham                                  

Criminal History/Involved: Yes, Statham had active felony warrants./Yes, Statham was in a stolen truck when police confronted him.    

Mental Illness: Yes, Statham’s actions clearly indicate suicide by cop.

Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown./None stated.

Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/37

Officer(s) involved: Athens-Clark County Police Department Sgt. Tim Johnson, Officer First Class Dustin Tilley, Officer Jerold Rogers, and Senior Police Officer Jamie Jones                                 

What prompted the initial contact with police? On February 18, 2021, Police responded to a 911 call of a person claiming to have seen a stolen vehicle. Upon arriving in the area, officers located the stolen vehicle, a white Nissan Titan driven by Timothy Statham and attempted to pull it over.

Actions taken by subject towards police: Statham refused to comply with the officers attempting to stop his vehicle and instead drove off at a high rate of speed. Officers up ahead in Statham’s direction were alerted and deployed stop sticks to disable his vehicle. Upon Statham’s trucks tires being damaged, he crashed it into the nearby woods and fled on foot. When officers caught up to and surrounded Statham they ordered him to show his hands.  Statham refused, kept his hand in his pocket and told the officers, “I’ve got a lot more rounds than every one of y’all.”

Reactions by the police: When Statham walked towards Officer Jones while refusing to show his hands, Jones shot Statham with a less-than-lethal round. Statham was unaffected by the impact of the round and continued towards Officer Jones who then ran away. Statham then turned towards the other three officers and motioned his “hands into a shooting stance,” causing them to mortally shoot him.

Outcome of investigation into the fatal police incident: Georgia Bureau of Investigations is examining the shooting.

What could the subject have done that day to still be alive today? Not steal a vehicle prompting 911 calls; comply with the officers and pull the vehicle over; not run from the vehicle after crashing it; comply with the officers and show his hands; not pretend to be pulling a weapon out from his pocket to shoot the officers.

Justified Use of Deadly Force? YES, Statham’s actions gave the officers reason to believe he was about to shoot them with a concealed weapon, thereby prompting their justified use of deadly force.