GBI Interview: Sutton Describes Moments After Kroger Shooting, Not Happy About Shooting Davis

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — In his interview with the GBI, Macon Police Officer Clayton Sutton describes the final moments of Sammie Davis Junior’s life including how he handcuffed Davis after he shot him.

Sutton sat down for two interviews. The first one was with internal affairs on December 21, 2012. That was the day he shot and killed Davis in front of Kroger. When investigators left the room, he said he wasn’t happy about the shooting.

“I’m not happy having to kill a guy, but I’m not going to put my life in jeopardy,” said Sutton.

The second interview was conducted by a GBI agent at a later date. In both interviews Sutton said he shot Davis three times after Davis lunged at him. He talked about what happened next.

“Kinda stopped, got my composure, drew back down on him, he was walking towards me still. He was walking towards me and he was kinda looking down at hisself. I was able to tell him just to sit down on the curb, sit down on the curb, he finally sat down,” said Sutton.

Sutton said then he called for backup, an ambulance, and an officer from internal affairs. In the video footage from the car of one of the first officers on the scene, you can see sutton telling the officer to back off. Sutton says when his sergeant arrived on the scene shortly after, he made his next move.

“I was able to talk him into laying flat down on the ground with his hands out, uh I was then able to walk up, place the handcuffs on him, um, Sergeant Draper told me to back off after that,” said Sutton.

Sutton didn’t turn his car camera on until after the shooting, but he told investigators multiple times he was scared of davis during the encounter.

The GBI agent asked why he used that degree of force.

“I thought the guy was trying to kill me,” Sutton responded.

Sutton also told investigators that davis was argumentative, but he wasn’t “any less capable of thought then anyone else.”

In both interviews Sutton gives nearly identical accounts of the December shooting.