The charges against Troy Davis arose from the shooting of Michael Cooper, the beating of Larry Young and the murder of Officer Mark MacPhail on August 18-19, 1989.
On the evening of August 18, 1989, Davis attended a pool party in the Cloverdale neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia. As he left the party with his friend Daryl Collins, the occupants of a passing car yelled obscenities. A bullet was fired at the car[8] and Michael Cooper, a passenger, was struck in the jaw.[9] Davis and Collins then went to a pool hall on Oglethorpe Avenue in the Yamacraw Village section of Savannah.[10]
Later that evening, Davis and Collins proceeded to the parking lot of a Burger King restaurant on Oglethorpe Avenue, not far from the pool hall.[10] There they encountered Sylvester "Redd" Coles arguing with a homeless man, Larry Young, over alcohol.[8][11]
At about 1:15 am on August 19, 1989, Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer working as a security guard, attempted to intervene in the pistol-whipping of Young at the parking lot.[12] MacPhail was shot twice: once through the heart and once in the face. He did not draw his gun.[8][11][13][14] Bullets and shell casings which were determined to have come from a .38-caliber pistol were retrieved from the crime scene. Witnesses to the shooting agreed that a man in a white shirt had struck Young and then shot MacPhail.[8]
On August 19, Coles told Savannah Police he had seen Davis with a .38-caliber gun, and that Davis had assaulted Young.[8][15] The same evening, Davis drove to Atlanta with his sister.[8][15] In the early morning of August 20, 1989, Savannah Police searched the Davis home and seized a pair of Davis's shorts which were found in a clothes dryer.[16] Davis's family began negotiating with police, motivated by concerns about his safety; local drug dealers were making death threats because the police dragnet seeking Davis had disrupted their business.[15][17] On August 23, 1989, Davis returned to Savannah, surrendered himself to police and was charged with MacPhail's murder.[15]
MacPhail had joined the Savannah Police Department in 1986 following six years of military service as an Army Ranger. MacPhail had worked for three years as a regular patrol officer and in the summer of 1989 had applied to train as a mounted policeman.[18]
Hundreds of mourners, including county, state, and federal law enforcement officers, attended MacPhail's funeral at Trinity Lutheran Church in Savannah on August 22, 1989.
Davis attended Windsor Forest High School, where one teacher described him as a poor student.[21] He dropped out in his junior year so he could drive his disabled younger sister to her rehabilitation.[20] Davis obtained his high-school equivalency diploma from Richard Arnold Education Center in 1987. A teacher noted that he attended school regularly but seemed to lack discipline.[20] Davis's nickname at the time was "Rah," or "Rough as Hell", but some neighbors reported that it did not reflect his behavior; they described him as a "straight-up fellow" who acted as a big brother to local children.[21]
In July 1988, Davis pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon; he was fined $250 as part of a plea agreement in which a charge of possession of a gun with altered serial numbers was dropped.[22]
In August 1988, Davis began work as a drill technician at a plant which manufactured railroad crossing gates. His boss once commented that while Davis was a likeable and good worker who appeared to have positive life goals, his job attendance was poor and by Christmas 1988 he had stopped coming to work.[20] Davis returned to the job twice in the following months but neither time remained for long.[20]
Davis was a coach in the Savannah Police Athletic League and had signed up for service in the United States Marine Corps.
On the evening of August 18, 1989, Davis attended a pool party in the Cloverdale neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia. As he left the party with his friend Daryl Collins, the occupants of a passing car yelled obscenities. A bullet was fired at the car[8] and Michael Cooper, a passenger, was struck in the jaw.[9] Davis and Collins then went to a pool hall on Oglethorpe Avenue in the Yamacraw Village section of Savannah.[10]
Later that evening, Davis and Collins proceeded to the parking lot of a Burger King restaurant on Oglethorpe Avenue, not far from the pool hall.[10] There they encountered Sylvester "Redd" Coles arguing with a homeless man, Larry Young, over alcohol.[8][11]
At about 1:15 am on August 19, 1989, Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer working as a security guard, attempted to intervene in the pistol-whipping of Young at the parking lot.[12] MacPhail was shot twice: once through the heart and once in the face. He did not draw his gun.[8][11][13][14] Bullets and shell casings which were determined to have come from a .38-caliber pistol were retrieved from the crime scene. Witnesses to the shooting agreed that a man in a white shirt had struck Young and then shot MacPhail.[8]
On August 19, Coles told Savannah Police he had seen Davis with a .38-caliber gun, and that Davis had assaulted Young.[8][15] The same evening, Davis drove to Atlanta with his sister.[8][15] In the early morning of August 20, 1989, Savannah Police searched the Davis home and seized a pair of Davis's shorts which were found in a clothes dryer.[16] Davis's family began negotiating with police, motivated by concerns about his safety; local drug dealers were making death threats because the police dragnet seeking Davis had disrupted their business.[15][17] On August 23, 1989, Davis returned to Savannah, surrendered himself to police and was charged with MacPhail's murder.[15]
Background of Mark MacPhail
Mark Allen MacPhail, Sr was 27 years old at the time of his murder. He was the son of a U.S. Army colonel, was married, and was father to a two-year-old daughter and an infant son.MacPhail had joined the Savannah Police Department in 1986 following six years of military service as an Army Ranger. MacPhail had worked for three years as a regular patrol officer and in the summer of 1989 had applied to train as a mounted policeman.[18]
Hundreds of mourners, including county, state, and federal law enforcement officers, attended MacPhail's funeral at Trinity Lutheran Church in Savannah on August 22, 1989.
Background of Troy Davis
Davis was the eldest child of Korean War veteran Joseph Davis and hospital worker Virginia Davis. The couple divorced when Davis was very young,[21] and Davis grew up with four siblings in the predominantly black, middle-class neighborhood of Cloverdale in Savannah, Georgia.[21]Davis attended Windsor Forest High School, where one teacher described him as a poor student.[21] He dropped out in his junior year so he could drive his disabled younger sister to her rehabilitation.[20] Davis obtained his high-school equivalency diploma from Richard Arnold Education Center in 1987. A teacher noted that he attended school regularly but seemed to lack discipline.[20] Davis's nickname at the time was "Rah," or "Rough as Hell", but some neighbors reported that it did not reflect his behavior; they described him as a "straight-up fellow" who acted as a big brother to local children.[21]
In July 1988, Davis pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon; he was fined $250 as part of a plea agreement in which a charge of possession of a gun with altered serial numbers was dropped.[22]
In August 1988, Davis began work as a drill technician at a plant which manufactured railroad crossing gates. His boss once commented that while Davis was a likeable and good worker who appeared to have positive life goals, his job attendance was poor and by Christmas 1988 he had stopped coming to work.[20] Davis returned to the job twice in the following months but neither time remained for long.[20]
Davis was a coach in the Savannah Police Athletic League and had signed up for service in the United States Marine Corps.
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