UPDATED A Democratic candidate running for state attorney general in Georgia is going up on the air with a campaign ad that may prove to be the most provocative spot of the election season.
The thirty-second television clip from State Rep. Rob Teilhet highlights the 2003 shooting death of Kenneth Walker -- a controversial and heart-wrenching tragedy in which Teilhet's primary opponent, Ken Hodges, played a key role. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer relays the background:
Hodges was the special prosecutor who presented the Kenneth Walker case in November 2004 to a Muscogee County grand jury, which did not indict former deputy sheriff David Glisson for his role in Walker's death. Glisson shot Walker during a traffic stop related to a drug investigation. Walker was unarmed at the time of the shooting and no drugs were found in the vehicle.
Glisson is white and Walker was black, and the case caused a racial division in the community.
Emily Walker, the victim's mother, appears as the singular voice in the new and emotional ad from Teilhet that features footage of the final moments in her son's life.
"You are seeing the last minute of my son's life," Walker says. "He was in a car that was pulled over by mistake. He was lying on the ground unarmed when a police officer shot him twice, in the head. But the officer got off, because the prosecutor, Ken Hodges, forgot to swear him in, tried to hide the video, and then refused to reopen the case. I could never get an answer why. "Mr. Hodges should not be our next attorney general."
UPDATE: Following the ad's release, the Hodges camp was quick to react. Representatives for the Hodges campaign have been circulating the following statement from Greg Edwards, who succeeded Hodges as Dougherty County District Attorney and who acted as co-counsel in the Kenneth Walker case:
"My heart goes out to Ms. Walker and her family. The loss of that young man's life was inexcusable and a tragedy. I am also sad and disgusted that Rob Teilhet resorted to exploiting a grieving mother for his own selfish political gain. After seeing his ad featuring Ms. Walker, I must address the many factual errors in the ad.
1. It was stated that Ken tried to hide the video. Here are the facts. The video was shown repeatedly to every member of the grand jury. This is a blatant falsehood. I personally presented the videotape to the civil lawyer and grand jury.
2. It was stated that Ken refused to retry the case. Here are the facts. Ken Hodges has said, and it has been documented numerous times, that if any new evidence came to light that he would bring the case back before the grand jury. No such evidence ever came to light. I personally sat with Ken in Ms. Walker's home to explain these facts to her.
3. It was stated that the reason the grand jury did not indict was because the officer was not sworn in. Here are the facts: The officer gave the exact same testimony several times to law enforcement officials. His statement before the grand jury was consistent. Not swearing him had no bearing on the grand jury's decision.
This 'win at all cost' strategy from the Teilhet campaign is, frankly, unacceptable. It's negative campaigning at its worst."
Watch the ad: