Handcuffed GA Man Killed by Police Had Extensive Criminal Record

Handcuffed GA Man Killed by Police Had Extensive Criminal Record

Two days after the shooting of 29-year-old black man Charles Smith, a wanted felon, by Savannah GA police officer David Jannot, new information is finally being revealed about both men, as reported by WSAV News, an NBC television affiliate in Savannah, GA.

Particularly interesting finds by WSAV include Smith’s arrest record and his apparent Facebook page.

Smith’s Arrests Included Aggravated Assault, Cruelty to Child

It had previously been reported that Smith had served at least three felony sentences. Candid photographs apparently taken in prison reveal extensive tattoos, including one running from shoulder-shoulder under his neck stating “Cut Throat.”

Charles Smith, apparently in prison, showing tattoos.

Smith had an extensive criminal history, including 16 different arrests over less than a decade, with charges including aggravated assault and cruelty to children.  It is worth keeping in mind that during this period Smith was in prison on felony charges for extended periods three different times, greatly reducing the time he had available to be on the streets to be arrested. (He nevertheless found time to father five children. Priorities.)

Particularly interesting was one arrest for “interference with government property,”  in which the arrest report indicates that after being placed in a police cruiser Smith “knocking out the back windows with his head”–eerily similar to his behavior following his Thursday morning warrant arrest by Officer Jannot.

At the time of his arrest, he had a lengthy list of outstanding warrants, including fleeing to elude, failure to stop, auto theft, reckless driving, obstruction, and traffic violations.

Perhaps most revealing, however, is Smith’s Facebook page, where he goes by the handle “MistaDee Dah Dun Dyeda.”  In the About section of his Facebook page it indicates: “”Worked at Robbery extortion and all types of f*ckry.”

Charles Smith’s purported Facebook page.

A close up:

Other pictures, apparently taken in the same institutional setting as the tattoo photo above, show Smith starting off his day with a puff of something he refers to as “purp.”

Charles Smith apparently smoking “purp”

The Urban Dictionary defines “purp” as “Marijuana that displays purple hairs and deep greens.”  Didn’t know they allowed “purp” in prison, but it’s been a while since my last visit.

Here’s a few seconds of the WSAV television news story on Charles Smith:

WSAV TV News also noted that Smith apparently has a rap video in which he stars. In the video he can be shown handling a variety of what appear to be real firearms (it is, of course, a Federal felony for a convicted felon such as Charles Smith to be in possession of firearms or ammunition), as well as showing how he could conceal a pistol in his pants.

Officer David Jannot Had Some Poor Driving Tendencies, But Also Described As “Leader”

Officer Jannot, a 10-year-veteran of the police force, has three reprimands in his record for vehicle collisions, and apparently once missed a court date in 2010. He is also, however, described as a “leader on his shift,” as reported by WSAV TV news:

Remarkably, as noted there is still absolutely no indication I can locate of Jannot’s race or ethnicity, nor any photograph that would be informative.

UPDATE (7/20/14, 12:30PM EST): Commenter Sanddog helpfully provided a link to a Savannah Morning News article,
“Savannah urged to keep peace after police-involved shooting death,” that states: “Smith, who is black, was shot by Jannot, who is white, just after 11 a.m. Thursday on Augusta Avenue between Eagle and Cummings streets.” (emphasis added)

–-Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

Andrew F. Branca is an MA lawyer and the author of the seminal book “The Law of Self Defense, 2nd Edition,” available at the Law of Self Defense blog (autographed copies available) and Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle). He also holds Law of Self Defense Seminars around the country, and provides free online self-defense law video lectures at the Law of Self Defense Institute and podcasts through iTunes, Stitcher, and elsewhere.

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