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Post by KC on Feb 8, 2006 20:23:43 GMT -5
02/07/2006 - A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Tuesday set bail at $100,000 for fugitive Jose Luis Valdes, the Chino man who recorded images of a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shooting an Air Force security officer Jan. 29.
Valdes had two outstanding warrants for aggravated assault in Florida, and was taken into custody Friday while visiting a federal immigration office in Pomona to renew his immigrant registration card. Valdes' arraignment on charges of being a fugitive from justice was postponed until Thursday.
If Valdes agrees to waive an extradition hearing, the fugitive charge probably will be dismissed Thursday and he will be handed over to Florida authorities, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley.
"He needs to be with his wife and children," said his attorney, Luis Carrillo of South Pasadena, who also represents the shooting victim's family.
"It's an injustice that he's sitting in a jail cell," he said.
Carrillo said that he believed that it was a "case of intimidation" by police in retribution for the recording. Sheriff's officials said they had no involvement in Valdes' arrest.
Valdes' video has been broadcast nationwide and is a primary piece of evidence in the investigation of the shooting by San Bernardino County sheriff's homicide detectives and the FBI.
"Without the video, the police could have said anything," Carrillo said.
The airman, Elio Carrion, was shot in the chest, leg and shoulder, said his wife, Mariela. He was released from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton on Friday night.
The life of Valdes, 38, who sells used cars in El Monte, has turned upside down since the shooting. Now he is in jail, away from his family, including two daughters aged 11 and 4.
His longtime partner, Grecy Duarte, said Tuesday that her family was not doing well since the arrest and that she was worried about their future.
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Post by KC on Feb 8, 2006 20:23:43 GMT -5
02/07/2006 - A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Tuesday set bail at $100,000 for fugitive Jose Luis Valdes, the Chino man who recorded images of a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shooting an Air Force security officer Jan. 29.
Valdes had two outstanding warrants for aggravated assault in Florida, and was taken into custody Friday while visiting a federal immigration office in Pomona to renew his immigrant registration card. Valdes' arraignment on charges of being a fugitive from justice was postponed until Thursday.
If Valdes agrees to waive an extradition hearing, the fugitive charge probably will be dismissed Thursday and he will be handed over to Florida authorities, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley.
"He needs to be with his wife and children," said his attorney, Luis Carrillo of South Pasadena, who also represents the shooting victim's family.
"It's an injustice that he's sitting in a jail cell," he said.
Carrillo said that he believed that it was a "case of intimidation" by police in retribution for the recording. Sheriff's officials said they had no involvement in Valdes' arrest.
Valdes' video has been broadcast nationwide and is a primary piece of evidence in the investigation of the shooting by San Bernardino County sheriff's homicide detectives and the FBI.
"Without the video, the police could have said anything," Carrillo said.
The airman, Elio Carrion, was shot in the chest, leg and shoulder, said his wife, Mariela. He was released from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton on Friday night.
The life of Valdes, 38, who sells used cars in El Monte, has turned upside down since the shooting. Now he is in jail, away from his family, including two daughters aged 11 and 4.
His longtime partner, Grecy Duarte, said Tuesday that her family was not doing well since the arrest and that she was worried about their future.
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Post by KC on Feb 6, 2006 16:53:17 GMT -5
02/03/2006 - The family of a man shot three times by a San Bernardino Sheriff's deputy earlier this week is calling for the arrest of the deputy.
The shooting, which happened in Chino, was all caught on tape. It shows Elio Carrion, an Air Force security officer recently back from Iraq, obeying the deputy's orders. He was unarmed. Then it appears the deputy shoots him anyway.
Carrion's family spoke out today and said they want the deputy, Ivory John Webb IV, behind bars.
“We demand justice. We demand this man prosecuted, he shouldn't be out on the streets with badge. He doesn't deserve it, what he did to us was wrong , no one deserved to be treated that way.”
Carrion is still in the hospital, recovering from gunshot wounds to the chest shoulder and thigh. His family says he should get to come back home in the next few days.
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Post by KC on Feb 6, 2006 16:53:17 GMT -5
02/03/2006 - The family of a man shot three times by a San Bernardino Sheriff's deputy earlier this week is calling for the arrest of the deputy.
The shooting, which happened in Chino, was all caught on tape. It shows Elio Carrion, an Air Force security officer recently back from Iraq, obeying the deputy's orders. He was unarmed. Then it appears the deputy shoots him anyway.
Carrion's family spoke out today and said they want the deputy, Ivory John Webb IV, behind bars.
“We demand justice. We demand this man prosecuted, he shouldn't be out on the streets with badge. He doesn't deserve it, what he did to us was wrong , no one deserved to be treated that way.”
Carrion is still in the hospital, recovering from gunshot wounds to the chest shoulder and thigh. His family says he should get to come back home in the next few days.
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Post by KC on Feb 5, 2006 21:44:22 GMT -5
02/04/2006 - A California sheriff's deputy who was a member of Iowa's 1982 Rose Bowl team has been placed on administrative leave in connection with the shooting of an Air Force security officer after a brief car chase in Chino, Calif. <><><><><> 02/04/2006 - SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A man who videotaped a sheriff's deputy shooting an unarmed Air Force security officer was arrested Friday for an alleged assault in Florida, officials said. Jose Luis Valdes was taken into custody by Pomona police on a warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm from Miami-Dade County, Fla. The warrant came up during a routine background check when Valdes went to an immigration office, police said. Valdes, contacted by cell phone, confirmed he had been arrested but said the only problem he had in Miami was an arrest for driving under the influence. He did not elaborate about that arrest, but said authorities wanted to send him back to Florida within 24 hours. "They want to get me out of California as soon as possible," Valdes said in Spanish. "They say I was involved in gunfire in Miami." The airman's shooting happened in Chino, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Elio Carrion was a passenger in a Corvette that was involved in a brief high-speed chase and crashed into a wall, authorities said. Valdes' tape showed Carrion on the ground talking with San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Ivory J. Webb, who stood pointing a gun at him. A recorded voice appeared to be commanding Carrion to "get up." As Carrion began to rise, the deputy fired three shots into him. Carrion, 21, who recently returned from Iraq, was shot three times and was hospitalized in good condition. Webb, 45, who has more than 10 years with the department, was placed on paid administrative leave. The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation of the shooting but Carrion's family said Friday that more must be done. Members gathered outside sheriff's headquarters and demanded the deputy's arrest. "My family is outraged because this person hasn't been arrested and is on paid vacation," Carrion's wife, Mariela, said at a news conference.
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Post by KC on Feb 5, 2006 21:44:22 GMT -5
02/04/2006 - A California sheriff's deputy who was a member of Iowa's 1982 Rose Bowl team has been placed on administrative leave in connection with the shooting of an Air Force security officer after a brief car chase in Chino, Calif. <><><><><> 02/04/2006 - SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A man who videotaped a sheriff's deputy shooting an unarmed Air Force security officer was arrested Friday for an alleged assault in Florida, officials said. Jose Luis Valdes was taken into custody by Pomona police on a warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm from Miami-Dade County, Fla. The warrant came up during a routine background check when Valdes went to an immigration office, police said. Valdes, contacted by cell phone, confirmed he had been arrested but said the only problem he had in Miami was an arrest for driving under the influence. He did not elaborate about that arrest, but said authorities wanted to send him back to Florida within 24 hours. "They want to get me out of California as soon as possible," Valdes said in Spanish. "They say I was involved in gunfire in Miami." The airman's shooting happened in Chino, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Elio Carrion was a passenger in a Corvette that was involved in a brief high-speed chase and crashed into a wall, authorities said. Valdes' tape showed Carrion on the ground talking with San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Ivory J. Webb, who stood pointing a gun at him. A recorded voice appeared to be commanding Carrion to "get up." As Carrion began to rise, the deputy fired three shots into him. Carrion, 21, who recently returned from Iraq, was shot three times and was hospitalized in good condition. Webb, 45, who has more than 10 years with the department, was placed on paid administrative leave. The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation of the shooting but Carrion's family said Friday that more must be done. Members gathered outside sheriff's headquarters and demanded the deputy's arrest. "My family is outraged because this person hasn't been arrested and is on paid vacation," Carrion's wife, Mariela, said at a news conference.
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Post by KC on Feb 3, 2006 22:37:23 GMT -5
Man Who Videotaped Carrion Shooting Is Arrested SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Jose Luis Valdez, the man who videotaped a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shooting an unarmed Air Force veteran, was arrested Friday on a warrant that came up from a background check. Immigration officials say Jose Luis Valdez was taken intocustody by Pomona police on a Dade County, Florida, warrant alleging he used a weapon to assault an elderly woman in Miami. The officials say the warrant came up during a routinebackground check when Valdez went to an immigration office for aninterview to renew his alien registration "green card." Valdez, contacted by cell phone today, confirmed he had beenarrested but said the only problem he had in Miami was an arrest for a DUI. Valdez says authorities want to send him back to Florida within 24 hours. Earlier this week, Valdez released a homemade videotape he took of Senior Airman Elio Carrion's shooting. The 21-year-old Air Force security officer recently back from Iraq was shot three times Sunday night by Deputy Ivory Webb. Carrion remains hospitalized in good condition.
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Post by KC on Feb 3, 2006 22:37:23 GMT -5
Man Who Videotaped Carrion Shooting Is Arrested SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Jose Luis Valdez, the man who videotaped a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shooting an unarmed Air Force veteran, was arrested Friday on a warrant that came up from a background check. Immigration officials say Jose Luis Valdez was taken intocustody by Pomona police on a Dade County, Florida, warrant alleging he used a weapon to assault an elderly woman in Miami. The officials say the warrant came up during a routinebackground check when Valdez went to an immigration office for aninterview to renew his alien registration "green card." Valdez, contacted by cell phone today, confirmed he had beenarrested but said the only problem he had in Miami was an arrest for a DUI. Valdez says authorities want to send him back to Florida within 24 hours. Earlier this week, Valdez released a homemade videotape he took of Senior Airman Elio Carrion's shooting. The 21-year-old Air Force security officer recently back from Iraq was shot three times Sunday night by Deputy Ivory Webb. Carrion remains hospitalized in good condition.
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Post by KC on Jan 19, 2007 22:33:27 GMT -5
NEW ORLEANS -- A judge on Friday gave district attorney Eddie Jordan until Feb. 1 to decide if he will ask for the death penalty for four police officers charged in a deadly bridge shooting in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Sgt. Kenneth Bowen, Sgt. Robert Gisevius Jr., officer Anthony Villavaso II and former officer Robert Faulcon Jr., were charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people. Officer Mike Hunter Jr. and Officer Robert Barrios were charged with attempted first-degree murder. Officer Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second degree murder. Jordan would have no comment, his spokesman Dalton Savwoir said. In the chaos that followed Katrina, Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed by police on the bridge. Police say the officers were responding to a report of other officers being attacked when they came under fire. Police also claim Madison was reaching for a gun. The coroner said Madison was shot seven times, with five wounds in the back, but the officers' attorneys said all the wounds could have come from a single shotgun blast. Madison's brother, Lance, denies he or his brother was armed. He said they were running from a group of teens who had opened fire on the bridge when seven men jumped out of a rental truck and also shot at them without warning. Judge Raymond Bigelow also set March 9, as the date to hear testimony on the motions on behalf of Bowen, Hunter and Hills to throw out the cases against them. "They had immunity," said attorney Frank DeSalvo, who represents Bowen. "Case law makes it very, very difficult to prosecute them under these circumstances." Jordan's office allegedly assured the officers that their testimony couldn't be used against them. DeSalvo said Bowen initially invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when he appeared before the grand jury in October. Jordan's office later obtained a court order compelling Bowen to testify in exchange for immunity from having their testimony used against them. DeSalvo also turned over Bowen's passport to the judge on Friday. www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5962565
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Post by KC on Jan 19, 2007 22:33:27 GMT -5
NEW ORLEANS -- A judge on Friday gave district attorney Eddie Jordan until Feb. 1 to decide if he will ask for the death penalty for four police officers charged in a deadly bridge shooting in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. Sgt. Kenneth Bowen, Sgt. Robert Gisevius Jr., officer Anthony Villavaso II and former officer Robert Faulcon Jr., were charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people. Officer Mike Hunter Jr. and Officer Robert Barrios were charged with attempted first-degree murder. Officer Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second degree murder. Jordan would have no comment, his spokesman Dalton Savwoir said. In the chaos that followed Katrina, Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed by police on the bridge. Police say the officers were responding to a report of other officers being attacked when they came under fire. Police also claim Madison was reaching for a gun. The coroner said Madison was shot seven times, with five wounds in the back, but the officers' attorneys said all the wounds could have come from a single shotgun blast. Madison's brother, Lance, denies he or his brother was armed. He said they were running from a group of teens who had opened fire on the bridge when seven men jumped out of a rental truck and also shot at them without warning. Judge Raymond Bigelow also set March 9, as the date to hear testimony on the motions on behalf of Bowen, Hunter and Hills to throw out the cases against them. "They had immunity," said attorney Frank DeSalvo, who represents Bowen. "Case law makes it very, very difficult to prosecute them under these circumstances." Jordan's office allegedly assured the officers that their testimony couldn't be used against them. DeSalvo said Bowen initially invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when he appeared before the grand jury in October. Jordan's office later obtained a court order compelling Bowen to testify in exchange for immunity from having their testimony used against them. DeSalvo also turned over Bowen's passport to the judge on Friday. www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5962565
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Post by KC on Jan 7, 2007 19:42:57 GMT -5
NEW ORLEANS -- All seven policemen charged with murder or attempted murder in a bridge shooting after Hurricane Katrina were free on bail Friday, and a judge said the six still on the New Orleans Police force can return to limited duty. One former officer, now a truck driver in Texas, can also return to work, Judge Raymond Bigelow said. The seven men pleaded not guilty in court Friday to murder or attempted murder charges. Four of the officers face counts of first-degree murder that carry a possible death sentence. A grand jury indicted the seven last week in connection with the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the city's Danziger Bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people. Five of the indicted men will be required to wear monitoring devices will be confined to home, work, attorney visits and court appearances, defense attorneys said. Although Bigelow said the officers can work, Assistant Police Superintendent Steven Nicholas said no decision had been made on whether they would return to duty. They were put on a 120-day unpaid suspension after the indictments, he said. Fraternal Order of Police lawyer Donovan Livaccari said he will urge Police Superintendent Warren Riley to let the officers return to work on a limited basis. "It won't be on the street. It won't be in uniform," Livaccari said. Tracie Washington, spokeswoman for the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, expressed disappointment that officers accused of murder would be allowed out and to return to work. She and other NAACP representatives hoped to meet with Police Superintendent Warren Riley to ask that the officers not be allowed to return to duty. "There should be accountability on both sides. We want a fair trial, but we want the community to feel safe," she said. As one of the officers left the courthouse, surrounded by attorneys and police officers, a small group of activists shouted "murderer." Bail on a first-degree murder charge is rare in Louisiana, defense lawyer Franz Zibilich acknowledged, but added: "Charging police officers with first-degree murder while they're in the course and scope of their employment is equally rare." Exactly what happened that day on the Danziger Bridge remains unclear. The hurricane had hit the city a few days earlier, flooding 80 percent of it, and there were widespread reports of lawlessness, looting and violence. Police say that the indicted officers were responding to a report of other officers being attacked at the bridge and that one of the victims, 40-year-old Ronald Madison, was reaching for a gun. Madison's brother, Lance, has said that his mental retarded brother wasn't armed and that the two were running from a group of teens who had opened fire when seven men jumped out of a rental truck and also shot at them without warning. Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius Jr., officer Anthony Villavaso II and former officer Robert Faulcon Jr., were indicted on first-degree murder charges and attempted murder charges. Officers Robert Barrios and Mike Hunter Jr. were charged with attempted first-degree murder, and Officer Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second-degree murder. Hunter and Hills made bail earlier this week. A defense lawyer said they will not be required to wear monitoring devices. www1.whdh.com/news/articles/national/BO39136/
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Post by KC on Jan 7, 2007 19:42:57 GMT -5
NEW ORLEANS -- All seven policemen charged with murder or attempted murder in a bridge shooting after Hurricane Katrina were free on bail Friday, and a judge said the six still on the New Orleans Police force can return to limited duty. One former officer, now a truck driver in Texas, can also return to work, Judge Raymond Bigelow said. The seven men pleaded not guilty in court Friday to murder or attempted murder charges. Four of the officers face counts of first-degree murder that carry a possible death sentence. A grand jury indicted the seven last week in connection with the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the city's Danziger Bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people. Five of the indicted men will be required to wear monitoring devices will be confined to home, work, attorney visits and court appearances, defense attorneys said. Although Bigelow said the officers can work, Assistant Police Superintendent Steven Nicholas said no decision had been made on whether they would return to duty. They were put on a 120-day unpaid suspension after the indictments, he said. Fraternal Order of Police lawyer Donovan Livaccari said he will urge Police Superintendent Warren Riley to let the officers return to work on a limited basis. "It won't be on the street. It won't be in uniform," Livaccari said. Tracie Washington, spokeswoman for the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, expressed disappointment that officers accused of murder would be allowed out and to return to work. She and other NAACP representatives hoped to meet with Police Superintendent Warren Riley to ask that the officers not be allowed to return to duty. "There should be accountability on both sides. We want a fair trial, but we want the community to feel safe," she said. As one of the officers left the courthouse, surrounded by attorneys and police officers, a small group of activists shouted "murderer." Bail on a first-degree murder charge is rare in Louisiana, defense lawyer Franz Zibilich acknowledged, but added: "Charging police officers with first-degree murder while they're in the course and scope of their employment is equally rare." Exactly what happened that day on the Danziger Bridge remains unclear. The hurricane had hit the city a few days earlier, flooding 80 percent of it, and there were widespread reports of lawlessness, looting and violence. Police say that the indicted officers were responding to a report of other officers being attacked at the bridge and that one of the victims, 40-year-old Ronald Madison, was reaching for a gun. Madison's brother, Lance, has said that his mental retarded brother wasn't armed and that the two were running from a group of teens who had opened fire when seven men jumped out of a rental truck and also shot at them without warning. Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius Jr., officer Anthony Villavaso II and former officer Robert Faulcon Jr., were indicted on first-degree murder charges and attempted murder charges. Officers Robert Barrios and Mike Hunter Jr. were charged with attempted first-degree murder, and Officer Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second-degree murder. Hunter and Hills made bail earlier this week. A defense lawyer said they will not be required to wear monitoring devices. www1.whdh.com/news/articles/national/BO39136/
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Post by KC on Dec 22, 2006 0:29:46 GMT -5
NEW YORK - Black New Yorkers angry at the police killing of a groom on his wedding day took their demands for justice to the city's financial district on Thursday but failed in their threat to shut down Wall Street. Several hundred protesters gathered a few blocks from Wall Street, under tight security, to call for New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly to resign and the officers involved in the shooting of Sean Bell, 23, to be charged. "If we don't get indictments, there's going to be an explosion," New York City council member Charles Barron told the crowd. "Some people don't want to march anymore, they're ready to take action." Bell was out for a bachelor party when he was shot and killed on November 25, just hours before he was to marry the mother of his two children. Two of his friends were wounded by some of the 50 bullets police fired at the three black, unarmed men. The District Attorney in New York's Queens borough is investigating the incident. Police have said the officers opened fire as the men were in a car outside a strip club, apparently in the belief one of them had gone to fetch a gun to settle a dispute at the club. Leaders of New York's black community have vowed protests until they see justice for Bell and have already held two rallies, including a march by several thousand people down Fifth Avenue on Saturday. Organizers said another protest was being planned for the United Nations headquarters in January. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said it was "unacceptable or inexplicable" that 50 shots were fired, while Kelly has set up a panel to review the police department's undercover operations and policy. today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&
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Post by KC on Dec 22, 2006 0:29:46 GMT -5
NEW YORK - Black New Yorkers angry at the police killing of a groom on his wedding day took their demands for justice to the city's financial district on Thursday but failed in their threat to shut down Wall Street. Several hundred protesters gathered a few blocks from Wall Street, under tight security, to call for New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly to resign and the officers involved in the shooting of Sean Bell, 23, to be charged. "If we don't get indictments, there's going to be an explosion," New York City council member Charles Barron told the crowd. "Some people don't want to march anymore, they're ready to take action." Bell was out for a bachelor party when he was shot and killed on November 25, just hours before he was to marry the mother of his two children. Two of his friends were wounded by some of the 50 bullets police fired at the three black, unarmed men. The District Attorney in New York's Queens borough is investigating the incident. Police have said the officers opened fire as the men were in a car outside a strip club, apparently in the belief one of them had gone to fetch a gun to settle a dispute at the club. Leaders of New York's black community have vowed protests until they see justice for Bell and have already held two rallies, including a march by several thousand people down Fifth Avenue on Saturday. Organizers said another protest was being planned for the United Nations headquarters in January. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said it was "unacceptable or inexplicable" that 50 shots were fired, while Kelly has set up a panel to review the police department's undercover operations and policy. today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&
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Post by KC on Dec 3, 2006 0:05:28 GMT -5
NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City man gunned down in a spray of 50 police bullets was buried Saturday as hundreds of angry demonstrators honoured him with a moment of silence before going jaw-to-jaw with police in a bitter confrontation outside a Queens borough precinct house.
The demonstrators taunted police, standing just centimetres away from a row of officers and daring the police to lay a hand on them. Some in the crowd held signs reading Death to the Pigs and Shoot Back.
"Fifty shots from the New York cops!" the crowd chanted before the moment of silence.
"We didn't come here to start any violence," said Malik Zulu Shabazz, a black nationalist leader.
"The New York police started the violence."
The "March of Outrage" organized by the New Black Panther party came one week after 23-year-old Sean Bell was killed and his friends Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman were wounded when police opened fire on the unarmed trio outside a strip club. The demonstration Saturday began outside the club, moved around the corner to the site of the shooting and then continued to the precinct.
Starr Nelson, a Queens woman in the crowd with two sons in their 20s, said relations between the police and local residents were antagonistic even before the shooting.
"It could have been my son," she said.
"(The police) need to start seeing people as people, not animals. You don't even shoot at an animal 50 times."
At a local hospital, Guzman was upgraded from critical to stable condition Saturday and Benefield remained stable.
Outside the facility, a lawyer for the two reiterated they do not believe there was a fourth person in the car before the shooting as police suggest and an undercover officer did not identify himself and flash his badge to the men in the car.
"Neither of the victims who are hospitalized, their bodies riddled with bullets, saw a badge or heard a command that the man who was holding a gun was a police officer," lawyer Sanford Rubenstein said.
It is still unclear what prompted officers to fire on Bell's vehicle Nov. 25, but police apparently feared one man in the group was about to go for a gun. The unarmed victims were black; the five officers were black, Hispanic and white.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown is investigating the case and civil rights leaders including Rev. Al Sharpton have called for murder charges.
On Friday, an overflow crowd of tearful mourners paid their respects to Bell inside the Community Church of Christ in Queens. Bell and his two friends were celebrating his bachelor party before the shooting.
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Post by KC on Dec 3, 2006 0:05:28 GMT -5
NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City man gunned down in a spray of 50 police bullets was buried Saturday as hundreds of angry demonstrators honoured him with a moment of silence before going jaw-to-jaw with police in a bitter confrontation outside a Queens borough precinct house.
The demonstrators taunted police, standing just centimetres away from a row of officers and daring the police to lay a hand on them. Some in the crowd held signs reading Death to the Pigs and Shoot Back.
"Fifty shots from the New York cops!" the crowd chanted before the moment of silence.
"We didn't come here to start any violence," said Malik Zulu Shabazz, a black nationalist leader.
"The New York police started the violence."
The "March of Outrage" organized by the New Black Panther party came one week after 23-year-old Sean Bell was killed and his friends Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman were wounded when police opened fire on the unarmed trio outside a strip club. The demonstration Saturday began outside the club, moved around the corner to the site of the shooting and then continued to the precinct.
Starr Nelson, a Queens woman in the crowd with two sons in their 20s, said relations between the police and local residents were antagonistic even before the shooting.
"It could have been my son," she said.
"(The police) need to start seeing people as people, not animals. You don't even shoot at an animal 50 times."
At a local hospital, Guzman was upgraded from critical to stable condition Saturday and Benefield remained stable.
Outside the facility, a lawyer for the two reiterated they do not believe there was a fourth person in the car before the shooting as police suggest and an undercover officer did not identify himself and flash his badge to the men in the car.
"Neither of the victims who are hospitalized, their bodies riddled with bullets, saw a badge or heard a command that the man who was holding a gun was a police officer," lawyer Sanford Rubenstein said.
It is still unclear what prompted officers to fire on Bell's vehicle Nov. 25, but police apparently feared one man in the group was about to go for a gun. The unarmed victims were black; the five officers were black, Hispanic and white.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown is investigating the case and civil rights leaders including Rev. Al Sharpton have called for murder charges.
On Friday, an overflow crowd of tearful mourners paid their respects to Bell inside the Community Church of Christ in Queens. Bell and his two friends were celebrating his bachelor party before the shooting.
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Post by KC on Nov 28, 2006 0:45:40 GMT -5
NEW YORK • On the day his honeymoon was to have started, Sean Bell's memory and the manner of his death — shot, unarmed, by police — dominated the latest outcry against city officers' use of deadly force.
Several hundred people held a vigil for Bell on Sunday, some shouting "No justice, no peace!" and demanding the ouster of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Many counted off to 50, the number of rounds estimated to have been fired by police at Bell, 23, and two other unarmed men in a car early on Saturday, hours before he was to have married the mother of his two children.
The five officers were placed on paid administrative leave and stripped of their guns, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the NYPD. Police and prosecutors promised a full investigation, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kelly planned to meet with community leaders at City Hall yesterday.
None of that stemmed the fury of a community outraged by the shootings. "We cannot allow this to continue to happen," the Rev Al Sharpton said at the gathering outside Mary Immaculate Hospital, where one of the two wounded men was in critical condition. "We've got to understand that all of us were in that car."
Relatives of the men attended the vigil and rally but none spoke publicly. Kelly has said police shot at the car after it drove forward and struck an undercover officer and an unmarked police minivan. The information was based on interviews with witnesses and two officers who did not fire their weapons, he said.
However, Trini Wright, a dancer at the strip club where Bell's bachelor party was held, told the Daily News she was going to a diner with the men and was putting her make-up bag in the trunk of their car when the police minivan appeared.
"The minivan came around the corner and smashed into their car. And they (the police) jumped out shooting," Wright, 28, told the newspaper. "No ‘stop.' No ‘freeze.' No nothing."
Kelly had said on Saturday it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified.
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Post by KC on Nov 28, 2006 0:45:40 GMT -5
NEW YORK • On the day his honeymoon was to have started, Sean Bell's memory and the manner of his death — shot, unarmed, by police — dominated the latest outcry against city officers' use of deadly force.
Several hundred people held a vigil for Bell on Sunday, some shouting "No justice, no peace!" and demanding the ouster of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Many counted off to 50, the number of rounds estimated to have been fired by police at Bell, 23, and two other unarmed men in a car early on Saturday, hours before he was to have married the mother of his two children.
The five officers were placed on paid administrative leave and stripped of their guns, said Paul Browne, chief spokesman for the NYPD. Police and prosecutors promised a full investigation, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kelly planned to meet with community leaders at City Hall yesterday.
None of that stemmed the fury of a community outraged by the shootings. "We cannot allow this to continue to happen," the Rev Al Sharpton said at the gathering outside Mary Immaculate Hospital, where one of the two wounded men was in critical condition. "We've got to understand that all of us were in that car."
Relatives of the men attended the vigil and rally but none spoke publicly. Kelly has said police shot at the car after it drove forward and struck an undercover officer and an unmarked police minivan. The information was based on interviews with witnesses and two officers who did not fire their weapons, he said.
However, Trini Wright, a dancer at the strip club where Bell's bachelor party was held, told the Daily News she was going to a diner with the men and was putting her make-up bag in the trunk of their car when the police minivan appeared.
"The minivan came around the corner and smashed into their car. And they (the police) jumped out shooting," Wright, 28, told the newspaper. "No ‘stop.' No ‘freeze.' No nothing."
Kelly had said on Saturday it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified.
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Post by KC on Aug 30, 2006 23:05:53 GMT -5
Sorry I don't have anything more updated.
In 1982, the federal government funded a "Police Services Study," in which 12,022 randomly selected citizens were interviewed in three metropolitan areas. The study found that 13.6 percent of those surveyed had cause to complain about police service in the previous year (this included verbal abuse and discourtesy, as well as physical force). Yet, only 30 percent of the people filed formal complaints. In other words, most instances of police abuse go unreported.
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Post by KC on Aug 30, 2006 23:05:53 GMT -5
Sorry I don't have anything more updated.
In 1982, the federal government funded a "Police Services Study," in which 12,022 randomly selected citizens were interviewed in three metropolitan areas. The study found that 13.6 percent of those surveyed had cause to complain about police service in the previous year (this included verbal abuse and discourtesy, as well as physical force). Yet, only 30 percent of the people filed formal complaints. In other words, most instances of police abuse go unreported.
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