In the early morning hours of May 31, 2014, a disturbance at a Waffle House in Griffin, Georgia, tragically escalated, leading to the death of 43-year-old Griffin Police Officer Kevin Dorian Jordan, a Black male and a four-year veteran of the force. Officer Jordan, a father of seven and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was working an off-duty security job at the restaurant when the incident unfolded.
The conflict began when three patrons, Michael D.
Bowman, his girlfriend Chantell Mixon, and his brother Tyler Taylor, were asked to leave the Waffle House due to their disruptive and intoxicated behavior. Officer Jordan escorted the trio outside, where the situation intensified. In the parking lot, as Officer Jordan attempted to arrest Mixon for her continued belligerence, a physical altercation ensued. While Jordan was on the ground trying to restrain and handcuff Mixon, Bowman produced a handgun and shot the officer multiple times in the back. One of the bullets penetrated an area not protected by his ballistic vest, striking his heart and lungs.
A witness to the horrific event was Officer Jordan's own brother, Raymond Jordan, who had come to the Waffle House to visit him. Seeing his brother being shot, Raymond, who was a civilian with a permit to carry a firearm, drew his own weapon and shot Bowman, wounding him. Bowman was subsequently taken into custody and transported to a medical center for treatment.
Following the shooting, Michael Bowman and Chantell Mixon were both charged with felony murder. Tyler Taylor faced a charge of disorderly conduct. In February 2017, a jury found Michael Bowman guilty but mentally ill in the murder of Officer Jordan. During the trial, Bowman's defense claimed he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in the military and did not remember the shooting. The prosecution, however, presented evidence that Bowman and his companions had been drinking and had discussed getting into a fight that night. The jury ultimately sentenced Bowman to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Georgia Supreme Court later upheld his conviction. Chantell Mixon faced charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and was released from custody in July 2018.
