A Georgia police officer claimed he shot and killed Gregory Peter Paige, a 27-year-old Black father of four children, after the Black man pulled a gun on him and opened fire, making him fear for his life.
But one month after the incident, the St. Mary’s Police Department had made no mention of a gun being found inside the apartment where Paige was shot to death by two cops.
The St. Mary’s Police Department has also refused to release body camera footage that would show whether or not Paige had a gun in his hand before he was killed by the two cops.
And a third cop who was at the scene — who said he did not open fire — filled out his own report and made no mention of seeing a gun, reporting that Paige “drew his right hand from behind his back, and pointed it at us.”
And police have not released the report filed by the second cop to have opened fire to see how he tried to justify the shooting.
There is also no mention of a gun found inside the apartment in the press release issued by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the state agency that is investigating the shooting.
Also, a short video recorded by a witness standing outside the apartment building where Paige was killed shows a volley of 16 shots in succession, indicating they were shot from a single gun. However, the available video made public does not include the seconds before those shots were fired.
All we know is that Paige’s final words were, “Y’all fixin’ to kill me,” according to the incident reported written by St. Mary’s Police Sergeant Eric Shaw.
Now Paige’s family has retained two high-profile lawyers, Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels, who likely will file a lawsuit against the St. Mary’s Police Department, which patrols a city of less than 20,000 people on the Georgia-Florida border.
“Like too many young Black men across this country, Gregory Paige believed these officers were going to kill him even though he posed no threat to their safety,” said Crump in a press release.
“Unfortunately, like too many young Black men across this country, he was right.”
The Police Reports
The incident took place after 11 p.m. on Aug. 3, after police received a call from the mother of Paige’s children, accusing him of domestic violence.
The woman whose name is redacted from the police reports claimed that Paige had been drinking and threatened to shoot her and also threatened to shoot police if she called them.
But the report written by St. Mary’s Officer Jordan Dexter says the woman was not sure if Paige had a gun on him that night.
The report written by Sgt. Shaw states that the woman told them Paige “had been drinking, threatening her, and physically grabbing her.”
“He told her that if she called police, he would kill her and the police, and mentioned that he possibly had a gun on his person,” Shaw wrote in his report.
Both reports say the cops obtained the key to the apartment from the woman who gave them consent to enter the apartment.
The following passage is how Dexter described the shooting in his report, claiming to hear a gunshot and see a muzzle flash but not saying anything about finding an actual gun.
Once Officer O’Brien received the key, we began to make entry into the apartment. As Officer O’Brien began to push the door open, I was covering him with the ballistic shield, and the door opened from the inside.
We were then greeted by the male subject, and I began to give loud verbal commands for the subject to keep his hands visible. He then began to slur his words and walk backwards inside the apartment. He then began to shut the door and reach behind his back with his right hand.
I then saw his arm extend towards Officer O’Brien and me. I then heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash and returned fire towards the male subject.
I shot my firearm approximately six to eight times toward the male subject and fell backwards on to my back. I then got up and proceeded to cover the male subject while Officer O’Brien handcuffed him.
In his report, Sgt. Shaw made no mention of a gunshot, muzzle flash, or an actual gun found near Paige.
When the door opened, Mr. Paige was standing in the living room doorway, which was also poorly lit. He was instructed to come out with his hands up and to turn around. He failed to comply and stated he did not have a gun. He was given several more instructions to turn around and put his hands behind his back, but he refused, saying, “No, ya’ll fixin’ to kill me.” He was told that was not the case.
At that point, officers attempted to take Mr. Paige into custody. He lunged back away from us, drew his right hand from behind his back, and pointed it at us. Officers Dexter and O’Brien, who were positioned in front of me, discharged their duty weapons, firing at Mr. Paige.
As I was going down the stairs to take cover, assuming Officers Dexter and O’Brien were also retreating for safety, I notified dispatch of shots fired. Once I heard the shooting stop, I returned upstairs and found both Officers Dexter and O’Brien lying on the floor. We proceeded into the living room where Mr. Paige was lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his stomach. He was handcuffed, and CPR was administered along with the use of an AED for life-saving measures.
And what O’Brien wrote in his report has not been released to the public.
The State Investigation
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation and issued a press release the following day, making no mention of a gun found in the home or near Paige.
The preliminary information indicates that on the evening of August 3, 2025, St. Marys Police Department officers responded to a 911 call. They made contact with the 911 caller who stated that Paige was making threats to kill her and was grabbing her aggressively. St. Marys PD officers and Camden County Sheriff’s Office deputies attempted to enter an apartment in the Cumberland Oaks Apartment complex to arrest Paige. The officers encountered Paige in the doorway of the apartment. During this encounter, two St. Marys Police Department officers fired their weapons, hitting Paige.
Daniels, the second attorney representing Paige’s family, along with Crump, believes there never was a gun.
“Gregory Paige in that apartment alone posing no threat to anyone,” Daniels said in a press release Wednesday.
“These officers could have done anything to resolve the situation. But instead of taking the time to talk, negotiate or simply close the door and wait, they opened fire and killed a young father.”
And Crump said Paige’s family has been waiting for St. Mary’s Police Chief James W. Galloway, Jr. to release body camera footage, but has been ignored.
“This family has waited a month for Chief Galloway to do the right thing and release this video,” Crump said in the press release.
“We’re here because they deserve more than silence. They deserve justice.”
Paige’s father, Jermaine Harold, said he was devastated when he showed up at the hospital after the shooting, only to learn his son had been killed.
“I definitely broke down so much so I had to step out of the room for a second,” Harold told WOKV, a news radio station in Jacksonville.
“I just want justice, man,” said Harold. “I don’t know what justice looks like.”
