‘It’s not fair:’ The family of a man killed by MARTA Police say they want a full investigation

‘It’s not fair:’ The family of a man killed by MARTA Police say they want a full investigation

The family of the man shot and killed by MARTA Police said they want answers and a full investigation into the shooting.

23-year-old Osiris Bennett died on Friday.

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“It’s not fair,” said De’Andre Bailey, Bennett’s brother.

According to police, two plain-clothes MARTA officers spotted Bennett with a marijuana cigarette Friday afternoon.

Police said the officers tried to confront Bennett, but he ran, and that’s when a struggle ensued.

“The individual presented a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers. That second plain clothes officer backed up, engaged the suspect and shot,” said MARTA Police Department Chief, Scott Kreher.

On Monday, Channel 2′s Audrey Washington spoke with a man who witnessed the incident and recorded the moments following the shooting.

The man asked not to be identified for the report, but he said he never once heard the officers identify themselves during the encounter.

“They rushed [Bennett] him. They didn’t identify themselves. They were tussling with the guy. And [Bennett] he was like why are you doing this?” the man said.

As with all officer-involved shootings, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now handling the case.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington asked the GBI if the officers identified themselves.

In a statement, a GBI spokesperson said in part:

“We don’t have anything to add to our original statement right now. The investigation is active and ongoing.”

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Bailey said his brother was getting to a better place in life with his mental health issues.

“What people don’t know is that my brother was schizophrenic, he had mental issues and he was getting to a point where he was getting to a better head space,” Bailey explained.

Bailey believes his brother got scared and tried to protect himself.

“If two random people were coming at you and you didn’t know they were police officers, what else are you going to do but react?” asked Bailey.

Friday night, family and friends held a vigil for Bennett at the North Avenue MARTA station.

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