Atlanta Police Chief, DA Want Suspect's Bond in Officer Shooting Reconsidered

A Fulton County judge on Monday granted bond for an alleged gang member accused of shooting and seriously wounding an Atlanta police officer.

Christian Eppinger, 22, has been in custody since the Feb. 7 shooting and his subsequent arrest, totaling 73 days behind bars. Magistrate Court Judge Alexandra Manning cited that term when setting a $330,000 bond in the police shooting case and ordering that Eppinger wear a county-funded ankle monitor upon his release.

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Under Georgia law, defendants have a right to a grand jury hearing within 90 days of their arrest, or they have a right to bail. Since Eppinger's case has not been indicted, Manning granted his release on the condition he stay out of Fulton County, be subjected to 24-hour supervision and steer clear of drugs and guns.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant have taken umbrage with the judge's decision and plan to address it during a news conference Wednesday at the county courthouse.

The district attorney is expected to discuss actions her office is taking to have the decision reconsidered, as well as her plans for changes to Fulton County's procedures for bond hearings involving defendants accused of serious violent crimes.

Eppinger is facing multiple charges, including criminal attempt to commit murder and aggravated assault on an officer, in the shooting that injured Atlanta police Officer David Rodgers. The officer, an 11-year APD veteran and member of the gang unit, was struck four times in the right shoulder, once above his right knee and once on the back right side of his head, according to police.

Rodgers was attempting to arrest Eppinger, who was wanted in an Oct. 12 armed robbery. According to his arrest warrant, Eppinger and another man allegedly held a victim at gunpoint at a Cleveland Avenue park before making off with the victim's diamond jewelry and his car.

Eppinger, described by police as a known member of the Young Slime Life Gang, did not go quietly when officers confronted him Feb. 7 in the Old Hapeville Road area. According to the GBI, he pulled out a concealed handgun during a struggle and shot Rodgers. Another officer returned fire but did not hit Eppinger, the state agency said.

The arrest came minutes later after Eppinger was spotted running behind a building and forcing his way into an apartment, according to his warrant.

Eppinger has a lengthy criminal history dating to a series of felonies in 2016, for which he was convicted as a minor. Those included robbery, carjacking, aggravated assault, fleeing arrest and third-degree cruelty to children.

He served five years in the Georgia Department of Corrections system and was scheduled to serve six years of probation, court records show. Upon his release in May 2021, Eppinger initially reported as instructed to the Atlanta probation field office, but then failed to report to any subsequent appointments with his probation officer.

A warrant should have been issued for Eppinger's arrest well before the October robbery, but it was never fully processed, according to the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

"A preliminary review identified issues not consistent with our standards in the warrant process specific to this case that the department is currently addressing," the agency said in a February statement. "Due to potential personnel action, no further details can or will be provided."

Eppinger is also facing numerous charges in the October armed robbery case, which was also considered during Monday's bond hearing. Manning set a $65,000 bond on those charges, bringing Eppinger's total bond amount to $395,000.

He remained in the Fulton County Jail on Wednesday. The district attorney's news conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

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