The Fulton County District Attorney’s office has dropped its case against a Clark Atlanta University PhD student who was wrongly identified and charged in connection with a November 2023 road rage shooting incident.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, police arrested 32-year-old Ladavious McNair in connection with the incident after a victim claimed that a suspect had pistol-whipped and shot him in the knee before driving away.
McNair faced charges including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Following his arrest, McNair remained in custody at the Fulton County Jail until he was eventually released on November 1.
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“No one should have to deal with this. No one should have to deal with this in 2024 in America,” McNair said.
Though McNair remained adamant about not being the suspect in the wake of his arrest, authorities still moved ahead with the case. His attorney also said the 32-year-old being linked to the crime did not add up because he was on campus when the incident occurred.
“I’ve experienced a lot of trauma in this. Experienced things no one should have to experience,” McNair said. “No one should have to deal with these things. As a veteran, I served my country and community, and I felt in this moment that my community turned their back and my country turned their back.”
McNair was linked to the crime after his car was captured in the location by the Flock camera system, Atlanta police said. But the 32-year-old’s associates said his car was spotted at the location around the time of the crime because he was heading to class, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
“How can we equate that type of behavior with a road rage incident to a gentleman who was in class at the time pursuing a PhD degree? The math just isn’t mathing,” McNair’s fraternity brother, Kenneth Love, said.
Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams condemned the actions of the DA’s office during the November 1 hearing. Judge Adams noted that for almost one year, the DA’s office was in possession of evidence indicating the perpetrator wasn’t McNair.
“I think this merits a conversation with the district attorney because I agree it’s egregious,” Judge Adams said.
“The victim contacted my office after the first story aired, and said that it wasn’t the guy, and I’ve been telling the detective that,” attorney Marsha Mignott said, adding that detectives remained keen on linking McNair to the crime even after the victim said the 32-year-old student wasn’t the perpetrator.
Mignott wants the detective to be charged and also terminated. “An investigation into all the other cases this tainted officer has touched. How many other Ladavious McNair’s are sitting at Rice Street,” Mignott said. “Only one way to make this right, and a handshake might not do. An apology or an ‘I’m sorry’ might not do.”
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