Ahmad Gatlin: Stories of Exonerees

 By: Khalisa Abdussamad

On January 14, 2021, at about 2:14 pm, Johnathan “John John” Mathis, 17, at the time of the shooting,  and Azely Mills, 18, at the time of the shooting, exited the school doors to the parking lot. They got in their black car, an unidentified make and model, to leave Austin East Magnet High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. That's when they noticed a white Honda Pilot across the street. The Honda Pilot started following them. The two suspects in the Honda Pilot were Rashan Jordan, 14, at the time of the shooting, and Deondre Davis, 16, at the time of the shooting. Ahmad Gatlin was a third suspect named two days later by witness Azely Mills. The two suspects opened fire and caused  Mills and Mathis to take cover at a nearby Exxon located on Cherry Street and Magnolia Avenue. John Mathis was not injured; however, Azely Mills sustained injuries to her eye and shoulder. 

Fulton High School, where Ahmad attended school, is 1.3 miles from Austin-East HS. Seeing that Ahmad attended a completely different school supports the lack of evidence and the witness's misunderstanding. Even though she gave two names at the scene, she testified that she saw “three dudes outside of a window”. There are some common ways that false accusations take place, including dysfunctional family dynamics, misunderstandings and misinterpretations, psychological and emotional factors, and faulty police investigations. In this case, misunderstandings and misinterpretations can be the associated cause, as well as faulty police investigations. 

It has been proven that sometimes children, especially younger ones, misinterpret events as well as adults. Comments and incidents reported may be distorted or may have missing information. At the time of the shooting, Mills and Mathis were boyfriend and girlfriend. She, who had known Ahmad for years, may have had an intimate relationship with him. She may have thought she saw Ahmad, but in reality, she did not. This happens all the time. Milly, who gave inconsistent statements, may have been coached by adults who could have distorted her story, seeing as she did not name Ahmad until two days later. 

Another reason for Ahmad’s lost teenage years comes from faulty police investigations. The Innocence Project notes that juveniles are more susceptible to false confessions. Even though Gatlin did not plead guilty, he spent over three years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He may have pleaded for a lighter sentence if new evidence had not been found. Police investigations have been known to be susceptible to various errors that can have serious repercussions, like wrongful convictions. This is especially the case when it comes to juvenile convictions. Police use deceptive and coercive interrogation practices, which include lying about evidence, false promises of leniency, and prolonged isolation and deprivation. Furthermore, 3 more factors influence faulty investigations, including confirmation bias, where the police are fixated on a suspect. They often overlook or disregard exculpatory evidence that contradicts their initial beliefs. 

In Ahmad’s case, the question of why his phone records were not used earlier in the case to show his true location was asked by the defense, and it was argued that the DA's office withheld evidence. According to the sources from the trial, it was a “delay”. However, they stated that “Gatlin was convicted with no evidence” and that there were resource limitations for lawyers representing indigent defendants. Indigent lawyers are often overworked, underfunded, and lack resources. This paints a picture as if they just did not care about him being innocent. This, in fact, may have been the case and seems to be a way to capitalize on selective evidence. Ahmad, who went from playing basketball full of hope, dreams, and aspirations, spent his final teenage years behind bars because of a faulty investigation that did not fight for his innocence but instead was biased when determining his future.

For more information about the path to innocence, visit YouthforInnocence.org and the National Registry For Exonerations.