Albany Police chief addresses recent string of fatalities in the city

By Alan Mauldin
[email protected]

ALBANY — With three traffic fatalities and a fatal shooting coming in less than a week, Albany Police Department Chief Michael Persley is urging motorists to use caution and encouraging individuals to consider other ways of dealing with conflict other than reaching for a gun.

Over the weekend, police investigated a crash of a motorcycle at about midnight on Friday that claimed the lives of Michael Jermaine Peterson, 51, and 31-year-old Jeremy Lockhart.

The fatal crash occurred on a curve at the intersection of West Lincoln Avenue and Walnut Street.

“When they got to the intersection they were unable to negotiate the turn,” Persley said during a Monday news conference during which he addressed the recent fatal incidents.

On Saturday morning, Anthony Mitchell, 40, died after he was shot multiple times during an incident in the 300 block of Lockett Station Road.

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A single-vehicle accident claimed the life of Albany State University student Joshua Dakota Raines, 19, on Jan. 22.

Excessive speed was not a factor in that accident, but it was for the motorcyclists, Persley said.

He estimated that speeding is responsible for about a third of accidents, but drivers who are tired or careless also account for a large number of crashes on the city’s roadways. Drivers distracted by cellphones are also a factor.

“People are running red lights,” he said. “Sometimes people might not be paying attention and before they know it they’re out in the intersection.”

The chief said he did not consider the department’s shortage of officers, which is a nationwide issue, to be a hindrance to enforcing traffic laws.

“I would say we could write more citations,” he said.

Riders on dirt bikes and four-wheelers who drive recklessly on city streets have been an issue for years, and they are usually younger people, Persley said. When officers identify those riders, they make arrests.

“(There are) those who refuse not to be reckless in their behavior,” Persley said.

The police department periodically performs concentrated traffic enforcement efforts by partnering with the Georgia State Patrol and other agencies, the chief said.

Addressing the Saturday shooting, Persley said that the circumstances are still under investigation and that he could not give a motive during the Monday news conference.

Milton Gowdy IV, 23, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting and was being held Monday at the Dougherty County Jail.

“We don’t want 2024 to be a continuation of what we’ve had over the last several years,” he said. “All life is precious. All life is valid.”

The chief urged people to be more open to communication instead of resorting to violence in the heat of the moment.

“Sometimes we go into situations where miscommunication is the cause,” he said.

Staff Photo: Alan [email protected]
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