• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Georgia Cop Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison After Lying About Being Shot By A Black Man
By Breanna Edwards · Updated October 23, 2020
A Jackson, Ga., police officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by 23 years on probation, after she was convicted for lying about being shot by a black man. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Officer Sherry Hall was convicted on 11 criminal charges, including making false statements, violating her oath and tampering with evidence. The incident dates back to Sept. 13, 2016, when Hall called in that she was shot by a 6-foot, 230-pound Black man who was wearing a green shirt and black jogging pants. Hall had claimed that the man pulled out a gun and shot her for no reason. A bullet was found in her protective vest. Her account sparked a manhunt in the days after the shooting, and struck fear and unrest in the heart of the community. One man who resembled Hall’s description was questioned about the shooting, but was ultimately released. “She did a great job for us, up until that night,” Jackson Police Chief James Morgan said, acknowledging that it is still unclear why Hall decided to make up such a story. “So we didn’t see this coming. But this was not a mistake. It was a conscious decision and a choreographed act.” At the time, Hall was on the Jackson police force for about three months, but now she is expected to serve her time at Arrendale State Prison in Alto. Attorney Jordan Van Matre has said he has filed a motion for a new trial for her. Hall’s brother, Steve Weaver, noted that his sister is “scared to death of prison,” which is why she turned down a plea deal, which would have gotten her off with five years in prison with an additional five years probation. “She’s scared to death of prison,” Weaver said.  “She wanted to take a plea, but not one that included prison time. She thought spending 90 days in jail before posting bond was enough.” Apparently the family was more than a little shocked that Hall got such a harsh sentence for almost sending a man to prison for what would have probably been prosecuted as attempted murder of a cop. “She definitely didn’t get treated fairly,” Weaver insisted. “As her brother, obviously it’s hard for me to admit she’s guilty. But if she is guilty, the sentence she received was especially harsh. We hope to seek a sentence reduction in the near future. I mean, this was a nonviolent crime.” But it was apparently pretty obvious that Hall was guilty. When she called in the shooting, she claimed that the black man fired a shot at her, prompting her to take cover behind her police car and fire two shots of her own in response. But the holes in her story quickly became evident. The police car’s video system was still working even though Hall hadn’t turned on the blue lights. In the audio of the recording only two shots were heard, not three, according to Assistant District Attorney James Moss. Three bullets were found, two of them matching the gun Hall was carrying that evening. However, the casing from the other bullet matched, not a random gun, but the department-issued backup firearm that Hall kept on her nightstand. The gun’s firing pin, which would help identify a bullet that was shot from that particular weapon, was tampered with. “It was dumbfounding that she went to trial,”  Moss said. “She never took responsibility. She invented out of whole cloth a black man who shot her, and if law enforcement hadn’t done their jobs right, we could have had a gentleman wrongly charged with a crime.” “I couldn’t prove what the motive was,” he added. “But I could prove that what she said was a big bucket full of malarkey.”
TOPICS:  Georgia Jackson Police Department Sherry Hall
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now