ATLANTA – The parents of Canard Arnold, a teenager who was shot and killed by a security guard on New Year’s Eve, say they are still waiting for justice for their son.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, the couple says they are coming forward now because their 17-year-old’s death shares some similarities to the widely reported Trayvon Martin case. The security guard, who is white, was never arrested or charged with any crime.
“This is very Trayvon Martin-like,” said Chris Chestnut, the attorney representing Bernard Arnold and Andrea Robinson. He also referred to Arnold’s shooter, Christopher Hambrick, as “a rogue, vigilante security guard.”
Chestnut claimed Arnold was running away from a dispute when he was shot at an Atlanta apartment complex. In addition, he said the teenager did not confront or threaten the security guard.
Ervin Jefferson, Atlanta teen, shot and killed by private security guards.
“There was no threat of force, no threat of violence, no threat of death,” said Chestnut. “And he shot Canard Arnold maliciously, like a predator, in the back.”
“I want justice, and I want him locked up and arrested and put on trial just like everybody else,” said Bernard Arnold, Canard’s father. “It’s just not fair that the man is still walking the streets,” said Andrea Arnold, the teenager’s mother.
The family is demanding that Atlanta police arrest and charge Hambrick, who at the time was working for a nearby apartment complex.
Authorities, however, paint a very different picture of the events which led up to the death of Arnold. In a statement, the Atlanta police department said Hambrick “found himself in the middle of an escalating gun battle between two males in the road.” Police said Hambrick feared for his life and shot Arnold.
Multiple witnesses saw Arnold exchanging gunfire with another man, Anthony Hines, who has since been arrested and charged with felony murder. Under state law, a suspect can be charged with murder for indirectly causing another person’s death.
“The Atlanta police department forwarded the case file to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review,” police said in the statement. “Hambrick has not been arrested, a decision made in consultation with the District Attorney.”
Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter at @Kunbiti
