Family Seeks Justice For Black Woman Killed During Drug Raid, Sues Deputies

The family of a 37-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot while deputies were serving a police warrant at her cousin's Georgia home in 2021 has filed a lawsuit seeking $25 million in damages.

Latoya James was killed on May 4, 2021, while she was visiting the apartment of her 47-year-old cousin, Varshan Brown, in Woodbine, about 100 miles south of Savannah.

Deputies with the Camden County Sheriff's Office were executing a narcotics search warrant at Brown's residence at the time. After the occupants failed to open the door, the deputies forcibly entered the apartment, resulting in gunfight between Brown and the officers. Bullets then struck Latoya in the back and shoulder, causing her death, NBC News reported.

The family accused the deputies of using force to enter the house without giving Brown adequate time to come to the door. The officers gave "2.5 seconds to answer or come to the door before they breached the door and killed her," the lawsuit alleged, according to the outlet.

The family also claimed that Brown didn't have ample time to think, so he opened fire believing a robber was breaking into his home. "Imagine if somebody came to your house at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, knocked down a door. I'm sure you're going to protect your family. That's exactly what Mr. Brown did," the family's attorney, Harry Daniels, said, as per News4JAX.

The lawsuit has been filed against Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor and the deputies involved in Latoya's death, citing unlawful entry, excessive force, lack of consequences for the deputies involved and wrongful death.

"We deserve justice for my child. Our kids are not supposed to go before you," Latoya's mother, Betty Jean James, said, according to the outlet.

During the investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation released a body camera video showing deputies announcing themselves at the door before breaking it open. However, it is unclear from the video who opened fire.

In a statement dated April 20, the district attorney's office justified the use of force in the incident and said the two deputies involved will not face charges. Two days after the statement's release, Camden County grand jury indicted Brown on multiple charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault on a public safety officer and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.

Meanwhile, Daniels believes Latoya's case is similar to that of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was fatally shot during a raid in Louisville, Kentucky, residence on March 13, 2020. In both cases, victims were unarmed Black women who were killed by officers after arriving in the dark and forcing their way into homes without adequate warning, the lawyers said.