Savannah Mayor Van Johnson discusses officer involved shootings in Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah Mayor Van Johnson discusses recent officer involved shootings at his weekly news conference this Tuesday morning.

The most recent officer involved shooting was top of mind for Savannah Mayor Van Johnson.

He called the incident tragic all the way around and says he’s having discussions with the city manager and police chief, taking a hard look at police department procedures.

“The City Manager and the Police Chief have already committed to doing that, to make sure that this is just an anomaly, and this is not representative of anything systemic,” Mayor Van Johnson said.

Regarding the recent officer involved shootings, Mayor Johnson acknowledged he believes there are a number of factors at play, adding he hopes officers acted appropriately in each situation.

“If they’ve acted appropriately, we will support them 100-percent. If they have not, then we will take the appropriate action,” Mayor Van Johnson said.

Mayor Johnson says until the investigations are over, he believes it’s important not to jump to conclusions.

“I think it’s irresponsible to speculate while the lives of a person, a person’s life is gone. On the other end you have an officer that is concerned about their life, their professional life,” Mayor Van Johnson said.

Sunday’s officer-involved shooting was the department’s third in three weeks, and fourth of the year.

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