Officer completed deadly force training day of fatal River Street shooting

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A WTOC investigation has identified the five Savannah Police Department officers involved in last month’s fatal shooting of Mark Whibbey Jr. on River Street.

WTOC Investigates learned through Open Records Act requests that the five officers who shot at Whibbey are Wesley Baker, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Epperson, Jared Lee, and Bradley Wilber. It remains unclear which officers hit Whibbey.

Video obtained by WTOC Investigates, taken by bystanders, shows Officer Johnson visibly upset moments after Whibbey Jr. was fatally shot.

Records from the Georgia Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) show all officers were in good standing at the time of the shooting. None of the officers have ever been under investigation by POST, nor have they been sanctioned for any inappropriate actions by the agency.

All officers had completed Use of Deadly Force training within the year prior to the shooting, including Epperson, who had completed that training the day of the shooting.

WTOC Investigates has requested all the officers’ personnel files from the Savannah Police Department to determine whether they have ever been disciplined by SPD, or the subject of Internal Affairs investigations. We have not received the files yet.

All officers were placed on administrative leave following the shooting, which is SPD protocol when someone is killed.

Background of the shooting

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took on the case, which is protocol when officers kill someone. According to the GBI, SPD received reports of a man waving a gun in downtown Savannah. When officers responded, they told Whibbey to drop the gun.

READ: What we know about the fatal SPD-involved shooting in Savannah’s Plant Riverside District

Whibbey did not comply and continued walking to River Street. On River Street, the GBI said he had a gun in his right hand, then reached behind his back with his left hand towards an object in his waistband. Five SPD officers then shot at Whibbey, hitting him multiple times and killing him.

The GBI says they have no updates to provide about the investigation.

Online obituaries say Mark Whibbey Jr.’s funeral is Saturday.