Share and Follow
In Swainsboro, Georgia, a demonstration unfolded on Monday in support of a man recently found guilty in a case involving a shooting incident with police officers.
Last Friday, 24-year-old Me’elle Merrion was handed a 25-year prison sentence after being convicted of aggravated assault linked to an officer-involved shooting that took place in September 2023. Just three days after the verdict, numerous supporters gathered outside the courthouse to voice their opposition to the ruling.
Protesters spoke with News 3, expressing disbelief over the conviction, noting that Merrion had no prior criminal record and was known for his reserved nature. His mother, Tara Green, portrayed him as a humble and quiet individual. “If you were sitting next to him in a waiting room, you’d need to initiate the conversation,” she explained.
Merrion’s family, both on the day of the protest and in earlier discussions with WSAV, recounted that he had been asleep at his aunt’s residence after working a late shift. They claim that law enforcement officers entered the home using a no-knock warrant intended for his cousin, who was suspected of drug-related activities.
Through conversations Monday and with WSAV prior, Merrion’s family said he was asleep at his aunt’s house following a late-night shift. They said while he was asleep, law enforcement officers executed a no-knock warrant for his cousin on the suspicion of drugs and breached the home.
However, a Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) news release reported that officers “attempted to execute a knock and announce drug search warrant.”
The family said during that moment, Merrion discharged a firearm, which hit an officer, who he believed to be an intruder.
His supporters stand by the statement that Officer Clay Young did not announce himself until after the door was breached.
Supporters also told WSAV they believed the sentence of 25 years, with at least 12 served, was too harsh for the situation and for someone who had no prior convictions.
They said they believe race may have played a factor in the decision and Monday’s protest was not just for Merrion but for others who may have suffered harsher penalties due to the color of their skin.
“Me’elle is just a vessel, there’s more to it,” Green said. “If we’re going to have a trial, we need to have a fair trial. That’s what we’re here for. Me’elle is the vessel, but we’re trying to carry it a little farther. We need it to be equality all the way around the board.”
Multiple speakers at the protest also criticized the trial’s presiding Judge Robert Reeves. Reeves “admitted the charge or admitted that evidence exists to prove 33 of the 58 charges of alleged misconduct” filed against him in September 2024, according to WSAV’s sister station in Augusta.
The counts of misconduct that spanned seven of Reeves’s 17 years of judgeship mainly concerned “Reeves’s use of coarse, insensitive, demeaning, and/or insulting language, particularly with women,” the report said.
Reeves mutually agreed not to seek re-election when his term expires at the end of this year, according to a consent agreement signed in relation to those misconduct charges.
Green said she thinks the misconduct hasn’t stopped.
“The misconduct is still going on,” she said. “I had jurors reach out to me. These jurors reached out to me and didn’t know me, asked me, ‘Are you Me’elle’s mom? Are you related to Me’elle?’ They went from there.”
Green said three jurors reached out after the trial concluded and have begun speaking to Green’s lawyer to see if there were any issues during the trial worth pursuing.
“They’re willing to stand up and fight with me, talk to lawyers, talk to whoever to let them know the misconduct and the wrongfulness that was going on in that jury room, in that courtroom.”
On Monday, WSAV reached out to District Attorney Tripp Fitzner’s office, who prosecuted Merrion’s case, but did not receive a response.
Green also said Merrion’s legal team has already filed an appeal of the case.
WSAV will keep you updated as the story progresses.