911 Calls Released in Houston County Police-Involved Shooting

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Authorities have released the dramatic 911 tapes that came moments after officers shot and killed a Warner Robins man back in March.

The emergency calls detail the minutes that led up to the domestic dispute on Huntwood Lane, ending with Warner Robins police officers shooting and killing Anthony Rawls. In the calls, dispatchers listen to an anxious wife, Michelle Rawls, who said her husband Anthony was threatening her life after he found some text messages in her phone.

“He said if the police pull up here, he’s going to shoot me,” Rawls told dispatchers, “he’s made that clear.”

Michelle tells operators that she was at home with her three children when her husband threatened to shoot her. At one point during the first call, a male’s voice can be heard in the background telling Michelle “when they pull up you’re not going to see anything else.”

During a second call, Michelle asks operators to call her mother. Michelle tells her mom, “I’m out on the porch; he has me at gun point.” Anthony then takes the phone saying “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

During several calls with dispatch, Anthony tells operators he never had a gun and doesn’t own a gun. When officers arrive, the operator asks Anthony to step off the porch and he refuses. He explains that he will not cooperate with police, in fear of losing his job at Macon State Prison.

In the final minutes of the call, there’s a scuffle, followed by several minutes of screaming. Michelle can be heard in the background yelling, “Oh my God, they killed my husband.”

According to police records, Rawls raised the gun towards his wife, before firing eight rounds. Officers on the scene, wrestled Rawls from the front porch and more shots were exchanged. He died from his wounds.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is working on a final report in the case. Last week, Houston County District Attorney George Hartwig ruled the incident was justified. The officers involved were on administrative leave and have since returned to work.