LAGRANGE, Ga. — The wife of a 73-year-old man accused of shooting an officer says it is all one big mistake.
Danielle Thompson told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that they thought it was teens banging on their door and running away like we’ve seen in pranks on TikTok.
Thompson said someone kept banging on her door Sunday night, so she called 911. Soon after, there was more banging.
“Then the police, he was knocking, bam, bam, bam,” Thompson said.
She and her husband had no idea it was a LaGrange police officer on the other side of the door.
“He didn’t even announce himself or nothing. So, my husband got up. That’s when the gun went off. Pow,” Thompson said.
Lagrange police say Laurance Williams, 73, shot through the door, hitting the officer in the leg. The officer survived.
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Thompson said you can tell from where the bullet hole is in the door that her husband didn’t mean to hit anyone.
“Shooting down low, trying to scare them. He wasn’t trying to hurt nobody,” Thompson said.
She said they were only trying to protect themselves and their home.
“I think they should let him go because he’s in the right. He was trying to protect his own home,” Thompson said.
Councilman Nathan Gaskin was troubled by the narrative police put out about the shooting. He says it doesn’t mention Thompson’s version of what happened.
“I don’t want people to think that there’s some really bad people who are trying to hurt police officers. But that’s what the report made it seem like,” Gaskin said.
Thompson told Jones that she is happy the officer is OK.
“I’m praying for him, though. I hate that he got hurt. But you should have announced yourself,” Thompson said.
Williams faces aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and giving false statements.
Jones wanted to hear police response to Thompson’s version of what happened, but they did not return his phone call on Monday.,
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