Family of 12-year-old boy killed during high-speed chase demands action against trooper involved

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt is representing the family of a 12-year-old boy who died during a police chase in Paulding County in 2021.

Le’Den Boykins died when the car he was in crashed after state troopers performed a PIT maneuver.

In September of 2021, Charlie Moore was stopped by a Georgia State Patrol trooper for allegedly speeding. Investigators said Moore had also been drinking. They also said they needed to call for backup because Moore wouldn’t cooperate.

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When backup arrived, a deputy eventually smashed a window after Moore didn’t show his license or open the door. Moore sped off after the window burst.

Investigators said Moore drove over the trooper’s foot in the process.

Moore’s 14-year-old son and Boykins were passengers.

Channel 2′s Michele Newell spoke with the boy’s family, who said they believe officers should be held accountable.

Newly released dash cam video reveals the crash during the chase that killed Boykins. The dashcam video shows the traffic stop, the chase and the PIT maneuver.

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Attorney Merritt and his team released the dashcam video on Wednesday.

“The dash cam footage of the traffic stop shows several officers peering into the vehicle that was stopped in a well lit area. This evidence directly refutes the claim that officer did not know children were present in the vehicle when they made the decision to illegally use deadly force. This new evidence shows officers made demonstratively false statements when they claimed they were unaware of the children’s presence in the vehicle. Dispatched radioed pursuing officers repeatedly telling them children were in the car and officers affirmed they received the dispatch information. When officer Peterson made the decision to perform a PIT maneuver with children in a vehicle he committed a crime and must be held accountable.”

—  National Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt

The Boykins family stood outside of the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday demanding justice. They were joined by Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs, community activist Shar Bates and several other community leaders.

“We’re sending a message to Attorney General Chris Carr. You need to appoint a special prosecutor in this case to get to the bottom of what happened to Le’Den Boykin,” said Griggs.

“Almost 500 days we’ve been waiting on Attorney General Chris Carr to do the right thing,” said Bates.

“We’re tired of our kids dying. We want Justice now and we are demanding justice from the Georgia state patrol,” said Shenita Binns of the Save the Youth Foundation.

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The Attorney General’s office told Channel 2 Action News that it can’t appoint a special prosecutor and the authority to do that has been given to the State Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Newell also contacted the Georgia State Patrol and is waiting to hear back.

“We’re deeply saddened by the death of Le’Den Boykins. This young man’s life ended way too soon and it breaks our hearts. We would like to offer our most sincere thoughts, prayers, and sympathy to his family. Unfortunately, because of the decisions Charlie Wilson Moore made that night, Le’Den is not with us anymore. The only individual who had all of the information that night was the suspect. There has to be some accountability for Mr. Moore in this case.”

—  Sgt. Ashley Henson, Paulding County Sheriff's Office

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