ATLANTA (Gray News) – A doctoral student spent 30 days in an Atlanta prison for a crime he did not commit due to mistaken identity.

Ladacious McNair, 32, said: WXIA He was mistakenly arrested because he shared the same name with the real suspect of the shooting that took place during a traffic fight.

WANF reports McNair, a doctoral student at Clark Atlanta University and a former military member, was released Nov. 1 after spending 30 days there, he said.

He walked from the Fulton County Jail into his fiancee’s arms.

“No one should have to deal with this. No one should have to deal with this,” McNair told reporters outside the prison, “Especially in America in 2024.”

The case began in November 2023, when Atlanta police responded to a traffic shooting. Court documents stated that the victim was first shot in the head with a gun and then shot in the knee by the other driver.

According to WANF, McNair’s car was in the area near the attack and matched the description given to police.

But McNair’s defense attorney, Marsha Mignott, said his car was in the area because the incident occurred near Clark Atlanta University, where McNair was a student. His lawyer said McNair was in class when the attack occurred.

“My client was in class. He is a PhD candidate. Mignott said he was a doctoral candidate at the time of the incident.

McNair had warrants for his arrest without his knowledge for almost a year.

McNair was arrested in Clayton County on Oct. 2 of this year and transported to the Fulton County Jail on Oct. 4, where he remained until Nov. 1, according to his attorneys.

The victim of the Oct. 30 road rage shooting said they were unsure if the gunman was McNair.

In court documents obtained by WANF, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis signed a motion asking the judge not to pursue charges against McNair.

“Although the state was able to locate the defendant’s phone and vehicle at the scene of the shooting, due to the victim’s change in certainty regarding the defendant’s identity, the state no longer believes it can prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. as the shooter,” the motion states.

On November 1, McNair was released from prison.

WXIA reported that the case was a case of mistaken identity and that the suspected shooter was another man named Ladavation McNair.

PhD student asks real shooter to surrender.

McNair will graduate from Clark Atlanta University in May.

Copyright 2024 Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.