DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Kenda Stuckey believes there are two parties who share the blame for her mother’s death and her son’s severe injuries. One is Joseph Odeh, the 18-year-old accused of fleeing police in a stolen vehicle on April 16. He’s facing numerous charges, including a charge of felony murder following a crash near Miller Grove Middle School. Odeh struck two pedestrians, killing Antionette Catchings, 56, and seriously injuring Robert Stuckey, the 14-year-old grandson she was trying to protect. The other party to blame, Stuckey said, is DeKalb County Police, the agency that authorized the chase under a new policy announced in 2025. “I think they should be 100% accountable as well,” Stuckey said. But county officials and police insist only one party, Odeh, deserves the blame. County officials declined to answer questions about Decaturish’s investigation into the April 16 crash and the increase in police chases. Public records show the April 16 chase appeared to violate the department’s chase policy. It occurred in a school zone at the end of the school day, with pedestrians present, something the policy explicitly prohibits. Changes to the chase policy led to a nearly 500% increase in police chases from 2024 to 2025, according to reports the county submitted to the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP). A county spokesperson noted Catchings’ death is “the subject of pending litigation.” “In addition, the pursuit associated with the incident is scheduled to be…
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