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Atlanta cop shoots man near Fulton courthouse
Baggy pants slowed man, witnesses say

Atlanta police shot and wounded a man who allegedly pointed a gun at officers after a foot chase outside the Fulton County Courthouse, according to police and witnesses.
Witnesses said the fleeing man pulled the gun after tripping because he was struggling to keep his baggy pants from falling down.
The officer immediately fired one to two shots at the man, striking him twice, according to police investigator Anthony Gentile and witness Darrell Jackson, 42. The man was idenfied as Emanuel Uzowihe, 21.
Uzowihe’s injuries were not life-threatening and he was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment, Gentile said. No officers or citizens were hurt.
But the black handgun that police say Uzowihe pointed at officers remained on the sidewalk for hours after the shooting on Pryor Street, about 30 yards from the Fulton County Daily Report newspaper.
The car Uzowihe had been driving, a white Toyota sedan, also sat for hours in the roadway as police cordoned off two blocks of Pryor Street, diverting motorists and delaying some who weren’t allowed to leave parking lots that surround the courthouse.
The shooting occurred around 3:45 p.m. near the courthouse entrance when officers with the department’s Auto Theft Task Force tried to pull over Uzowihe for an undisclosed traffic violation, said police Sgt. Lisa Keyes.
Uzowihe stopped the car in the middle of Pryor Street, jumped out and ran down the sidewalk, Gentile said. At least one officer followed, ordering Uzowihe numerous times to stop, Gentile said.
Police said the man had a gun in his hand as he ran, though witnesses offered conflicting accounts of when they first saw a gun.
Jackson said the man didn’t have a weapon when he ran past, cursing to no one in particular, and that Jackson first saw the gun when Uzowihe pointed it at the officer after falling down.
Another witness, Trevious Grier, said she saw the gun as the man was running.
“He had a long black handgun he was holding in front of him, Grier said. “I’ve never seen a gun that big before.
Jackson and another witness, Julia Kelly, said Uzowihe fell because he couldn’t keep his baggy pants on his waist.
“He was running pretty fast, Jackson said. “The only thing that messed him up is he was trying to pull his pants up.
Said Kelly: “I bet he won’t wear baggy pants again.
The streets outside the courthouse were the site of a similar commotion in March 2005, when an inmate escaped from a courtroom holding cell and killed a judge, court reporter and sheriff’s deputy. Brian Nichols is awaiting trial. He is also charged with killing a federal agent the same day.