On Monday, Dec. 18, Derwin Brown was supposed
to have been sworn in as DeKalb Countys new sheriff. Instead his supporters
and friends were holding a candlelight vigil in his honor.
In what is being described as the most
intense and sensitive investigation in the history of DeKalb County, authorities
are attempting to determine who ambushed and shot to death Brown as he
exited his car in his driveway at home just after 11:30p.m. last Friday
night.
The news of Browns death shocked metro
Atlanta residents, public officials and fellow law enforcement officers
Saturday morning.
Referencing the days of the old "wild west"
a patron at a College Park restaurant watching a special TV report of the
murder said. "This is like Dodge City."
Brown, a former captain with the DeKalb
County police department and a family man with a wife, five kids and a
grandchild, had just graduated from the state Sheriff's academy earlier
in the week. With family and several of his new staff members which included
close friend and former colleague Robert Crowder whom he had appointed
as chief deputy, he celebrated at VIPs, a popular DeKalb nightspot.
According to DeKalb Public Safety Director
Thomas Brown (no relations), Derwin Brown's party left the club that evening
for Brown's home ahead of him.
"He drove home alone in his car," said
Thomas Brown. "When he exited the car to go into his house, shots rang
out. Those inside the house went out to investigate and found him laying
in his driveway."
Brown said that 22-year law enforcement
veteran had been shot numerous times with a large caliber weapon. He offered
that the county is not ruling out the possibility there were numerous assassins.
The slained-sheriffs family and several
unnamed DeKalb County officials are under protective custody. The family
remained in seclusion and has yet to make a statement.
"The FBI is also cooperating with us in
this case in a support role although the lead agency will remain DeKalb,"
said Brown at a Saturday morning news conference. Brown suggested the possibility
that the assailants may have been out of towners or escaped across state
lines.
Monday was to have been a time of celebration
for Derwin Brown, family and friends. He was to be officially sworn in
by DeKalb Judge Clarence Seeliger and had promised to reform the department.
Not long after defeating incumbent Sheriff Sidney Dorsey in a runoff election,
Brown notified 38 employees within the department that they could expect
to get pink slips the day after he took office. The firings were reportedly
across the board, from entry level clerks to middle managers. Reportedly,
about 12 of those facing dismissals were re-interviewed and were going
to be retained.
Notwithstanding the apprehension of Brown's
killers, the immediate challenge ahead is naming an interim Sheriff until
the special election set for March 21.
The job of appointing an interim sheriff
will lies in the hands of county probate judge Marion Guess.
Regarded as an honest cop, Brown was elected
on a campaign to reform the sheriffs department which has operated under
a cloud of controversy for the past 30 years. Dorsey, a once popular sheriff
fell out of favor when it was disclosed during the campaign that he had
deputies working for his private detective service while on duty.
The former Atlanta homicide detective sent
his condolences to Browns family and said that his office would cooperate
with the investigation to find the killer(s) responsible. Dorsey hinted
that he was not interested in continuing in office.
"He represented the best hope for restoring
respect to the sheriffs department that weve ever had," said Judge Seeliger.
As for the investigation into Brown's assassins,
Brown refrained from answering specific questions so as not to compromise
the probe. "We have found that we work best when we remain silent until
we have solid information that we can safely release to the public. Right
now with so little to go on, discussing the investigation might only complicate
things."
Brown did solicit help from the public.
He said anyone with any information that could lead to the apprehension
of suspects can call their hotline number at 404-508-7666.
A reward fund for information swelled over
the weekend to $45,000 thanks to an additional $10,000 offered by Bishop
Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church of DeKalb County.
A memorial fund has also been set for up
Browns family at Citizen Trust Bank (acct. no. 00422196). Donations can
be made at any of the banks 12 Atlanta locations (404)659.5959. Citizen
Trust donated $1000 towards the fund.
Funeral services for Brown were scheduled
for 11 a.m. Thursday at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Church in Decatur.