The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is under fire today after the family of a five-year-old girl who was recklessly shot by Deputy Thomas Samples has filed a federal lawsuit against both Samples and the DCSO. Aaliyah Adams, the girl’s mother, is represented by nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Bakari Sellers and Mario Pacella.
The incident, which occurred on June 23, 2024, began when Samples tried to pull over 25-year-old Mike Palmer on I-20. According to the lawsuit, Samples pursued Palmer into Fulton County, GA and, after attempting a failed PIT maneuver, continued to pursue the unarmed Palmer on foot to BP gas station on Fulton Industrial Blvd. where Adams and her daughter were getting gas.
Palmer, still unarmed, tried to carjack Adams and crawled into the back seat of her car where the innocent child was laying down. According to the lawsuit, that’s when Samples opened fire without attempting to determine if anyone was under immediate threat or if he was putting any innocent bystanders in harm’s way either by hitting someone in the car or by igniting the nearby gas pumps. In his recklessness, Samples shot Adams’ daughter in the right upper arm. A GBI investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
In addition to these disturbing events, the lawsuit further details Samples history of violence including the fact that, prior to being hired by the DCSO in 2022, Samples had been charged for allegedly pointing a pistol at a young lady in a fit of road rage. Despite the fact that this incident showed up on Samples’ background check, he was hired by DCSO. According to the lawsuit, the issues didn’t end there.
In March 2024, only months before shooting Aaliyah Adams’ five-year-old daughter, he was forced into remedial training after an incident where he tased and arrested someone in their own home and searched the home without determining whether or not they had committed a crime.
Later that same month, he was suspended for engaging in an improper pursuit that disregarded the danger to innocent civilians. As part of that pursuit, he blew through a red light at 129 mph.
On June 3, 2024, just days before shooting Adams’ daughter, Samples was removed from the DCSO Emergency Response Team for failing to complete the SWAT class at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. In fact, he did not complete the course because he had failed a basic firearms qualification course.
“This is a failure at every level,” said Sellers. “Not only did Deputy Samples have no business shooting into that car wounding a defenseless child, he should never have been a cop in the first place.”
“This little girl is lucky to be alive,” said Crump. “Not only do we need officers like this accountable, we need to take on the departments that hire and empower them. Innocent lives are at risk and if you can’t take that seriously then you have no business wearing a badge.”
“This isn’t a one-time mistake,” said Pacella. “This is a history of recklessness and negligence. The fact that the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office gave Thomas Samples a badge and a gun and then let him keep it despite these documented incidents is a threat to all of us.”
Click HERE for a copy of the filed lawsuit.