By Kelly Stocks, President, L5P Business Association
This August marks the 33rd year since Atlanta Police Department (APD) Police Officer Gregory L. Davis was shot and killed in the line of duty while protecting our neighborhood. His memory is honored by a plaza in Little 5 Points which was named for him. Gregory L. Davis Plaza is the only public space named in honor of a fallen police officer in the City of Atlanta.
On August 26, 1988, Officer Davis stopped a man on a bicycle to question him about a series of nighttime burglaries in the Little 5 Points area. At the time Officer Davis did not realize this suspect was also wanted in the murder of a college student that happened three nights earlier in the plaza which now bears his name. The suspect pulled out a gun. Officer Davis was shot in the chest and fatally wounded but also managed to shoot and kill the suspect.
Back in 1988 police officers were not issued bullet proof vests. The shooting of Officer Davis brought the need for vests to the public’s eye. It also highlighted the need for the State to provide educational funding for fallen officers’ children. After this happened, the Little 5 Points Business Association, together with the surrounding communities, raised money to purchase bulletproof vests for all police officers. By naming a plaza after Greg, Little 5 Points will always remember and honor our lost friend and protector.
City of Atlanta Police Department, 5 February 2021, www.facebook.com/AtlantaPoliceDpt/posts/3956188397725326.
