Grand Jury Rules Georgeson Shooting Justified

NBC5’s Laura Cavanaugh reports.

After hearing testimony that spanned nearly 12 hours, it took a Grand Jury 30 minutes to rule that U.S. Marshals were justified in the shooting of James Georgeson outside a West Medford Albertson’s on January 5th.

That Grand Jury announcement madeby Jackson County Deputy District Attorney, David Hoppe in a press conference Thursday evening.

That decision opening the door for police and the D.A.’s office to discuss facts of the case. They tell us that the Grand Jury was behind closed doors all day. They heard testimony from 45 witnesses, including two juvenile individuals who were in that

Dodge Durango with Jimmy Georgeson that fateful night. The jury also heard from Georgeson’s mother, Seppie Greico and his stepfather, as well as the three Marshals involved.

Georgeson was wanted for a federal probation violation stemming from a 2009 assault of a Federal Marshal. On January 5th, marshals say they cornered Georgeson in the grocery store parking lot. And that’s when they say the 20 year-old used his car as a weapon. Federal Marshals fired on Georgeson, killing him at the scene.

Deputy D.A. Hoppe describing the incident in vivid detail.

“Georgeson’s car initially struck a pillar that went into reverse hitting the store. Both of the marshals had exited the vehicle, were out with guns drawn, as Georgeson then floored it and came, what he perceived to be, towards or in his direction, the marshals did in fact take that first shot,” said Hoppe.

Twenty rounds were fired into that Durango, shots hitting Georgeson in the head and chest. OSP creating a 3-D re-enactment of the incident for jurors to view.

Hoppe says that he intends to make that Albertson’s surveillance video and that re-enactment available to the public at the earliest date possible. Out of respect for the family, he will meet with them to show them the evidence first.