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Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 4, 2007 12:35:02 GMT -5
01.04.2007 - NEW ORLEANS - Two New Orleans police officers charged in a deadly shooting in Hurricane Katrina‘s aftermath say the district attorney reneged on a deal granting them partial immunity in exchange for their testimony before a grand jury. A grand jury last week indicted the two officers and five others in the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people. "Officer Hills submits that this flagrant, direct and improper use of his immunized testimony requires this court to quash the indictment against him and order him released," attorney Bruce Whittaker wrote in court papers. Hills is charged with attempted second-degree murder. "The state cannot meet its heavy burden of proving that all of the evidence it proposes to use was derived from legitimate, independent sources separate and apart from Bowen‘s grand jury testimony," DeSalvo wrote. Officer Mike Hunter Jr. is the only other indicted officer who testified before the grand jury. His attorney, Townsend Myers, was out of town Wednesday and hadn‘t filed a similar motion. Bowen, Sgt. Robert Gisevius Jr., officer Anthony Villavaso II and former officer Robert Faulcon Jr., are charged with first-degree murder. Hunter and Officer Robert Barrios are charged with attempted first-degree murder. Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed by police on the bridge. 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. www.localnewsleader.com/elytimes/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=39863
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 4, 2007 12:35:02 GMT -5
01.04.2007 - NEW ORLEANS - Two New Orleans police officers charged in a deadly shooting in Hurricane Katrina‘s aftermath say the district attorney reneged on a deal granting them partial immunity in exchange for their testimony before a grand jury. A grand jury last week indicted the two officers and five others in the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings on the Danziger Bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people. "Officer Hills submits that this flagrant, direct and improper use of his immunized testimony requires this court to quash the indictment against him and order him released," attorney Bruce Whittaker wrote in court papers. Hills is charged with attempted second-degree murder. "The state cannot meet its heavy burden of proving that all of the evidence it proposes to use was derived from legitimate, independent sources separate and apart from Bowen‘s grand jury testimony," DeSalvo wrote. Officer Mike Hunter Jr. is the only other indicted officer who testified before the grand jury. His attorney, Townsend Myers, was out of town Wednesday and hadn‘t filed a similar motion. Bowen, Sgt. Robert Gisevius Jr., officer Anthony Villavaso II and former officer Robert Faulcon Jr., are charged with first-degree murder. Hunter and Officer Robert Barrios are charged with attempted first-degree murder. Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed by police on the bridge. 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. www.localnewsleader.com/elytimes/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=39863
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 2, 2007 23:28:16 GMT -5
01.02.2006 - Cheers from 250 to 300 supporters greeted seven New Orleans police officers who turned themselves in today to face charges for a deadly shooting on a bridge days after Hurricane Katrina hit. "Each of the indicted men faces at least one charge of murder or attempted murder in the shootings of six people on the Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005, less than a week after the hurricane hit," Associated Press reports. "One protester shouted 'Police killings must stop' and 'Racism must go' as the men arrived, but the protester was shouted down by the crowd yelling: 'Heroes, Heroes,'" the A.P. article continued. Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius, officer Anthony Villavaso and former officer Robert Faulcon, were charged with first-degree murder. Officers Robert Barrios and Mike Hunter were charged with attempted first-degree murder, and Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second-degree murder. Video clip from CNN coverage of the day's proceedings: www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Video_Cheers_for_New_Orleans_officers_0102.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 2, 2007 23:28:16 GMT -5
01.02.2006 - Cheers from 250 to 300 supporters greeted seven New Orleans police officers who turned themselves in today to face charges for a deadly shooting on a bridge days after Hurricane Katrina hit. "Each of the indicted men faces at least one charge of murder or attempted murder in the shootings of six people on the Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005, less than a week after the hurricane hit," Associated Press reports. "One protester shouted 'Police killings must stop' and 'Racism must go' as the men arrived, but the protester was shouted down by the crowd yelling: 'Heroes, Heroes,'" the A.P. article continued. Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius, officer Anthony Villavaso and former officer Robert Faulcon, were charged with first-degree murder. Officers Robert Barrios and Mike Hunter were charged with attempted first-degree murder, and Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second-degree murder. Video clip from CNN coverage of the day's proceedings: www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Video_Cheers_for_New_Orleans_officers_0102.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Dec 29, 2006 12:34:59 GMT -5
Seven police officers indicted in post-Katrina shootings 12.29.2006 - NEW ORLEANS - Seven police officers were indicted Thursday on murder or attempted murder charges in a pair of shootings on a bridge that left two people dead during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The district attorney portrayed the officers as trigger happy. "We cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs," District Attorney Eddie Jordan said. The shootings took place under murky circumstances six days after the storm and became one of the most widely cited examples of the anarchy that descended after Katrina. Two men were killed and four people wounded on the Danziger Bridge, which spans the Industrial Canal. At the time, the sweltering city was still littered with corpses as rescuers tried to evacuate stranded residents and looters ransacked stores. Police initially said the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings occurred after shots were fired at Army Corps of Engineers workers. Police Superintendent Warren Riley called Jordan's comments "highly unprofessional, highly prejudicial and highly undignified," and urged the community to withhold judgment until a jury decides their guilt or innocence. "We want justice first and foremost," Riley said, "but for the district attorney to try and prejudice the community against these officers before all the evidence is heard is really, I think, a sad day for the city." Defense attorneys said their clients are innocent. "As a wise man once said, a district attorney can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich," said Franz Zibilich, attorney for officer Robert Faulcon, who is charged with murder and attempted murder. "They heard only one side of the story." A judge gave the officers 24 hours to surrender and said there would be no bond for the four accused of murder, which carries a possible death sentence. The officers accused of attempted murder were to be held on $100,000 bond for each count. The grand jury issued the charges after hearing weeks of testimony. The foreman of the panel, Lee Madare, declined to comment in detail as he left the courthouse but asked a reporter, "Do you understand the word cover-up?" A spokesman for Mayor Ray Nagin declined to comment on the indictments. According to a police report, several officers responded to a radio call that two fellow officers had been hurt. When they arrived, seven people were seen running, and four began firing at police, the report said. The officers returned fire. The victims were Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19. The coroner said Madison was shot seven times, with five wounds in the back. Riley has described the confrontation as a "running gun battle" that lasted several minutes. Madison's brother, Lance, has said the two were crossing the bridge on their way to another brother's dental office when a group of teens ran up behind them and opened fire. As they fled, Lance Madison said, he and his brother encountered seven men who jumped out of a rental truck and also began firing. The police department has said an officer shot Ronald Madison after he reached into his waistband and turned toward the officer. Lance Madison denies that his brother was armed. In addition to Faulcon, police Sgt. Kenneth Bowen and officers Anthony Villavaso and Robert Gisevius were charged with murder. Officers Robert Barrios, Mike Hunter and Ignatius Hills were charged with attempted murder. The indictments were the latest blow to the reputation of the beleaguered police department. More than 200 officers on the 1,500-member force were disciplined for various offenses after the storm, including failure to show up for work.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Dec 29, 2006 12:34:59 GMT -5
Seven police officers indicted in post-Katrina shootings 12.29.2006 - NEW ORLEANS - Seven police officers were indicted Thursday on murder or attempted murder charges in a pair of shootings on a bridge that left two people dead during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The district attorney portrayed the officers as trigger happy. "We cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs," District Attorney Eddie Jordan said. The shootings took place under murky circumstances six days after the storm and became one of the most widely cited examples of the anarchy that descended after Katrina. Two men were killed and four people wounded on the Danziger Bridge, which spans the Industrial Canal. At the time, the sweltering city was still littered with corpses as rescuers tried to evacuate stranded residents and looters ransacked stores. Police initially said the Sept. 4, 2005, shootings occurred after shots were fired at Army Corps of Engineers workers. Police Superintendent Warren Riley called Jordan's comments "highly unprofessional, highly prejudicial and highly undignified," and urged the community to withhold judgment until a jury decides their guilt or innocence. "We want justice first and foremost," Riley said, "but for the district attorney to try and prejudice the community against these officers before all the evidence is heard is really, I think, a sad day for the city." Defense attorneys said their clients are innocent. "As a wise man once said, a district attorney can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich," said Franz Zibilich, attorney for officer Robert Faulcon, who is charged with murder and attempted murder. "They heard only one side of the story." A judge gave the officers 24 hours to surrender and said there would be no bond for the four accused of murder, which carries a possible death sentence. The officers accused of attempted murder were to be held on $100,000 bond for each count. The grand jury issued the charges after hearing weeks of testimony. The foreman of the panel, Lee Madare, declined to comment in detail as he left the courthouse but asked a reporter, "Do you understand the word cover-up?" A spokesman for Mayor Ray Nagin declined to comment on the indictments. According to a police report, several officers responded to a radio call that two fellow officers had been hurt. When they arrived, seven people were seen running, and four began firing at police, the report said. The officers returned fire. The victims were Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19. The coroner said Madison was shot seven times, with five wounds in the back. Riley has described the confrontation as a "running gun battle" that lasted several minutes. Madison's brother, Lance, has said the two were crossing the bridge on their way to another brother's dental office when a group of teens ran up behind them and opened fire. As they fled, Lance Madison said, he and his brother encountered seven men who jumped out of a rental truck and also began firing. The police department has said an officer shot Ronald Madison after he reached into his waistband and turned toward the officer. Lance Madison denies that his brother was armed. In addition to Faulcon, police Sgt. Kenneth Bowen and officers Anthony Villavaso and Robert Gisevius were charged with murder. Officers Robert Barrios, Mike Hunter and Ignatius Hills were charged with attempted murder. The indictments were the latest blow to the reputation of the beleaguered police department. More than 200 officers on the 1,500-member force were disciplined for various offenses after the storm, including failure to show up for work.
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Post by WaTcHeR on Aug 30, 2006 11:21:34 GMT -5
Feds to Investigate Post-Katrina Bridge Blockade 08.30.2006 - NEW ORLEANS - Federal authorities will review last year's blockade of a Mississippi River bridge by armed police officers who turned back Hurricane Katrina evacuees trying to flee New Orleans. The investigation will be carried out by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans, along with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann said Friday. The results of a state investigation have already been turned over to the Orleans Parish district attorney. Several hundred evacuees claimed that police from suburban Gretna blocked them as they tried to flee New Orleans for safety on Sept. 1. Many of the evacuees, who had been stranded at the New Orleans convention center without food and water, said they were told to cross the bridge to be evacuated from the city. But Gretna police confronted them on the bridge and forced them to turn around. Police later said they blocked the evacuees because there were no supplies or services for them on the other side of the river. The case raised widespread allegations of racism and spurred two marches across the bridge by national civil rights organizations in the months after the hurricane. Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan plans to present the results of a state attorney general's investigation to a grand jury. Jordan has declined to reveal any details of the report. Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson has acknowledged that his officers fired shots into the air during the blockade in an attempt to quell what he described as unrest among the evacuees. The American Civil Liberties Union has been pressing state Attorney General Charles Foti to make his investigative report public. Louisiana ACLU executive director Joe Cook said Friday he was disappointed that the report had not been released. www.blacknews.com/pr/feds101.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Aug 30, 2006 11:21:34 GMT -5
Feds to Investigate Post-Katrina Bridge Blockade 08.30.2006 - NEW ORLEANS - Federal authorities will review last year's blockade of a Mississippi River bridge by armed police officers who turned back Hurricane Katrina evacuees trying to flee New Orleans. The investigation will be carried out by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans, along with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Mann said Friday. The results of a state investigation have already been turned over to the Orleans Parish district attorney. Several hundred evacuees claimed that police from suburban Gretna blocked them as they tried to flee New Orleans for safety on Sept. 1. Many of the evacuees, who had been stranded at the New Orleans convention center without food and water, said they were told to cross the bridge to be evacuated from the city. But Gretna police confronted them on the bridge and forced them to turn around. Police later said they blocked the evacuees because there were no supplies or services for them on the other side of the river. The case raised widespread allegations of racism and spurred two marches across the bridge by national civil rights organizations in the months after the hurricane. Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan plans to present the results of a state attorney general's investigation to a grand jury. Jordan has declined to reveal any details of the report. Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson has acknowledged that his officers fired shots into the air during the blockade in an attempt to quell what he described as unrest among the evacuees. The American Civil Liberties Union has been pressing state Attorney General Charles Foti to make his investigative report public. Louisiana ACLU executive director Joe Cook said Friday he was disappointed that the report had not been released. www.blacknews.com/pr/feds101.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Aug 30, 2006 11:19:56 GMT -5
Police Chief Says He Exaggerated Post-Katrina Crime
08.30.2006 - The New Orleans police chief during Hurricane Katrina, Eddie Compass, says he unnecessarily "heightened people's fears" by repeating unconfirmed reports of out-of-control crime in the city during the aftermath of the storm, adding to the confusion caused by the disaster and potentially hampering rescue efforts. "There were reports of rapes and children being raped. And I even got one report … that my daughter was raped," Mr. Compass says in the Spike Lee documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," scheduled to air on HBO tonight. Mr. Compass resigned from his post as New Orleans police superintendent in September 2005. "In hindsight, I guess I heightened people's fears by me being the superintendent of police, reporting these things that were reported to me," Mr. Compass said of the unverified accounts of crime and disorder in flooded New Orleans that he repeated to the press and on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." "But there was really no way for me to check definitively. So instead I erred on the side of caution. I didn't want people to think we were trying to cover anything up. So I repeated these things without being substantiated, and it caused a lot of problems," he said. Officials and local commentators have long suggested that the false reports of rampant crime following the hurricane were a reason for the slowness of rescue efforts. With recovery teams and humanitarian aid groups frightened to enter the city, many storm survivors were left stranded on roofs without food and water, in makeshift rafts, and in filthy conditions at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In part due to the trumped-up crime reports, officials in a neighboring town — fearing the chaos would spread — responded by ordering police to shoot any evacuee who attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection bridge into the city of Gretna from New Orleans. "I'm going to tell you that during that storm, the national media reported rampant rumors that have now turned out not to be true. … And people were terrified," Louisiana's lieutenant governor, Mitch Landrieu, says in the film. "In my estimation, that Gretna thing was a way overreaction to rampant rumors that were being pushed in the mainstream media," he adds. "What Eddie [Compass] was trying to do was tell the truth … because nobody trusted police. His view was: ‘I'll tell you everything you want to hear.' Unfortunately, he was spreading rumors … hundreds of helicopters being shot at by looters and babies being raped in the Superdome," a professor of history at Tulane University, Douglas Brinkley, says in the film. Katrina is estimated to have resulted in 1,810 deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, with about 1,464 of those fatalities in Louisiana. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates the storm caused more than $80 billion in property damage. The first two hour-long parts of the four-part documentary will air tonight at 9 p.m. and will focus on the stories of New Orleans residents who survived the storm. www.nysun.com/article/38268
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Post by WaTcHeR on Aug 30, 2006 11:19:56 GMT -5
Police Chief Says He Exaggerated Post-Katrina Crime
08.30.2006 - The New Orleans police chief during Hurricane Katrina, Eddie Compass, says he unnecessarily "heightened people's fears" by repeating unconfirmed reports of out-of-control crime in the city during the aftermath of the storm, adding to the confusion caused by the disaster and potentially hampering rescue efforts. "There were reports of rapes and children being raped. And I even got one report … that my daughter was raped," Mr. Compass says in the Spike Lee documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," scheduled to air on HBO tonight. Mr. Compass resigned from his post as New Orleans police superintendent in September 2005. "In hindsight, I guess I heightened people's fears by me being the superintendent of police, reporting these things that were reported to me," Mr. Compass said of the unverified accounts of crime and disorder in flooded New Orleans that he repeated to the press and on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." "But there was really no way for me to check definitively. So instead I erred on the side of caution. I didn't want people to think we were trying to cover anything up. So I repeated these things without being substantiated, and it caused a lot of problems," he said. Officials and local commentators have long suggested that the false reports of rampant crime following the hurricane were a reason for the slowness of rescue efforts. With recovery teams and humanitarian aid groups frightened to enter the city, many storm survivors were left stranded on roofs without food and water, in makeshift rafts, and in filthy conditions at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In part due to the trumped-up crime reports, officials in a neighboring town — fearing the chaos would spread — responded by ordering police to shoot any evacuee who attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection bridge into the city of Gretna from New Orleans. "I'm going to tell you that during that storm, the national media reported rampant rumors that have now turned out not to be true. … And people were terrified," Louisiana's lieutenant governor, Mitch Landrieu, says in the film. "In my estimation, that Gretna thing was a way overreaction to rampant rumors that were being pushed in the mainstream media," he adds. "What Eddie [Compass] was trying to do was tell the truth … because nobody trusted police. His view was: ‘I'll tell you everything you want to hear.' Unfortunately, he was spreading rumors … hundreds of helicopters being shot at by looters and babies being raped in the Superdome," a professor of history at Tulane University, Douglas Brinkley, says in the film. Katrina is estimated to have resulted in 1,810 deaths, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, with about 1,464 of those fatalities in Louisiana. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates the storm caused more than $80 billion in property damage. The first two hour-long parts of the four-part documentary will air tonight at 9 p.m. and will focus on the stories of New Orleans residents who survived the storm. www.nysun.com/article/38268
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 28, 2007 16:01:30 GMT -5
A former state legislator charged with having sex with a teenager, a man accused in the rape of a 60-year-old woman, and a man who police said molested his 13-year-old stepdaughter are among defendants in 61 pending cases jeopardized by alleged corruption in the Hollywood police department. The prosecutions, each involving one of four veteran officers charged last week with corruption and drug offenses, are under review by lawyers in the Broward State Attorney's Office, said felony chief Jeff Marcus. At the same time, the FBI continued to look into leaks from the Hollywood Police Department that prematurely exposed an undercover investigation of suspected dirty cops. The leaks forced agents to wrap up the sting instead of following up on other leads that could have produced more arrests, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the matter. Detective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, are accused of providing services to FBI agents posing as mobsters in exchange for cash, sometimes using official police vehicles and equipment. Companion, Courtney and Harrix son were arrested Thursday and released on bail. Simcox, who was cooperating with investigators, is expected to surrender Wednesday. Howard Finkelstein, chief public defender for Broward County, said the scandal's effect on pending criminal cases could be "huge." "This is as serious as it gets," Finkelstein said. "Cases could very easily fall apart." He said he would advise his staff to take a close look at current and past cases involving all Hollywood police officers, not just the four charged. "I want to find out about every dirty cop in the city of Hollywood," Finkelstein said. The four officers were involved in pending felony cases that include child sexual abuse, vehicular homicide, kidnapping and drug charges. Companion and Simcox, who ran the sex-crimes unit for the Hollywood police, handled 45 cases, Marcus said. "We're going through case-by-case to determine what impact there is," he said. Perhaps the highest-profile prosecution called into question involves a former state legislator who police say admitted paying for sex with a Hollywood madam and an underage girl. Barry Kutun, 65, surrendered last year after Hollywood police charged him with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He was subsequently fired from his post as North Miami's city attorney. Kutun's attorney Richard Sharpstein said Simcox was the original lead detective in the Hollywood case, adding it was too early to tell how his involvement would impact Kutun's defense. Simcox also participated in a case where a good Samaritan chased down a man accused of raping a 60-year-old woman in a Hollywood alley on New Year's Day. Simcox arrested Juan Moreno, 38, whom the woman identified in front of police, on one count of sexual battery with a weapon, records show. The woman suffered serious injuries, including a deep cut on her neck after her attacker allegedly used a belt to try to strangle her. Assistant Public Defender Jose Alberto Reyes, who represents Moreno, could not be reached for comment Monday. In the case of the man charged with repeatedly molesting his teenage stepdaughter, it was Companion who took the girl's statement at her Hollywood home in December. The suspect's attorney, Alex Rivero, said that makes him "raise an eyebrow." "It's definitely something I have to look into," Rivero said Monday. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not publishing his client's name to protect the stepdaughter's privacy. Alberto Milian, a former Broward state prosecutor, said the officers' arrests would undoubtedly cause headaches for his former office. "It's going to raise credibility issues every time a police officer, especially a Hollywood police officer, testifies," he said. Dennis Siegel, head of the sex crimes unit of the Broward State Attorney's Office, said lawyers would look for ways to make their cases without relying on testimony from the accused officers. Hollywood Police Chief James Scarberry said Monday he assigned a detective to the sex crimes unit to review all open cases handled by Simcox and Companion. The undercover inquiry was forced to shut down early after word of the operation got back to some officers, Scarberry said. He said other officers named on the FBI's surveillance tapes remain under suspicion. "Whether that may have been bragging by the four officers, I don't know," he said. "We'll have to sit down with the FBI and see what evidence there may be." As for how word of the investigation leaked, Scarberry said he has "a hunch." According to the federal law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Scarberry and his top deputy were briefed on the investigation about a month ago, around the time federal authorities confronted Simcox and asked him to cooperate. Scarberry and his deputy were told not to discuss the matter with anyone else. Scarberry said he informed Mayor Mara Guilianti, City Manager Cameron Benson and members of his senior command staff because he thought arrests were imminent. Weeks later, after learning Courtney and Companion were acting suspiciously and demanding their pensions, Scarberry said he alerted federal authorities that their investigation was blown. There is currently no formal investigation of the leak, the federal official said, adding the FBI could launch a criminal inquiry if it seemed to be intentional. www.policeone.com/officer-misconduct-internal-affairs/articles/1224470/
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 28, 2007 16:01:30 GMT -5
A former state legislator charged with having sex with a teenager, a man accused in the rape of a 60-year-old woman, and a man who police said molested his 13-year-old stepdaughter are among defendants in 61 pending cases jeopardized by alleged corruption in the Hollywood police department. The prosecutions, each involving one of four veteran officers charged last week with corruption and drug offenses, are under review by lawyers in the Broward State Attorney's Office, said felony chief Jeff Marcus. At the same time, the FBI continued to look into leaks from the Hollywood Police Department that prematurely exposed an undercover investigation of suspected dirty cops. The leaks forced agents to wrap up the sting instead of following up on other leads that could have produced more arrests, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the matter. Detective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, are accused of providing services to FBI agents posing as mobsters in exchange for cash, sometimes using official police vehicles and equipment. Companion, Courtney and Harrix son were arrested Thursday and released on bail. Simcox, who was cooperating with investigators, is expected to surrender Wednesday. Howard Finkelstein, chief public defender for Broward County, said the scandal's effect on pending criminal cases could be "huge." "This is as serious as it gets," Finkelstein said. "Cases could very easily fall apart." He said he would advise his staff to take a close look at current and past cases involving all Hollywood police officers, not just the four charged. "I want to find out about every dirty cop in the city of Hollywood," Finkelstein said. The four officers were involved in pending felony cases that include child sexual abuse, vehicular homicide, kidnapping and drug charges. Companion and Simcox, who ran the sex-crimes unit for the Hollywood police, handled 45 cases, Marcus said. "We're going through case-by-case to determine what impact there is," he said. Perhaps the highest-profile prosecution called into question involves a former state legislator who police say admitted paying for sex with a Hollywood madam and an underage girl. Barry Kutun, 65, surrendered last year after Hollywood police charged him with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He was subsequently fired from his post as North Miami's city attorney. Kutun's attorney Richard Sharpstein said Simcox was the original lead detective in the Hollywood case, adding it was too early to tell how his involvement would impact Kutun's defense. Simcox also participated in a case where a good Samaritan chased down a man accused of raping a 60-year-old woman in a Hollywood alley on New Year's Day. Simcox arrested Juan Moreno, 38, whom the woman identified in front of police, on one count of sexual battery with a weapon, records show. The woman suffered serious injuries, including a deep cut on her neck after her attacker allegedly used a belt to try to strangle her. Assistant Public Defender Jose Alberto Reyes, who represents Moreno, could not be reached for comment Monday. In the case of the man charged with repeatedly molesting his teenage stepdaughter, it was Companion who took the girl's statement at her Hollywood home in December. The suspect's attorney, Alex Rivero, said that makes him "raise an eyebrow." "It's definitely something I have to look into," Rivero said Monday. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is not publishing his client's name to protect the stepdaughter's privacy. Alberto Milian, a former Broward state prosecutor, said the officers' arrests would undoubtedly cause headaches for his former office. "It's going to raise credibility issues every time a police officer, especially a Hollywood police officer, testifies," he said. Dennis Siegel, head of the sex crimes unit of the Broward State Attorney's Office, said lawyers would look for ways to make their cases without relying on testimony from the accused officers. Hollywood Police Chief James Scarberry said Monday he assigned a detective to the sex crimes unit to review all open cases handled by Simcox and Companion. The undercover inquiry was forced to shut down early after word of the operation got back to some officers, Scarberry said. He said other officers named on the FBI's surveillance tapes remain under suspicion. "Whether that may have been bragging by the four officers, I don't know," he said. "We'll have to sit down with the FBI and see what evidence there may be." As for how word of the investigation leaked, Scarberry said he has "a hunch." According to the federal law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Scarberry and his top deputy were briefed on the investigation about a month ago, around the time federal authorities confronted Simcox and asked him to cooperate. Scarberry and his deputy were told not to discuss the matter with anyone else. Scarberry said he informed Mayor Mara Guilianti, City Manager Cameron Benson and members of his senior command staff because he thought arrests were imminent. Weeks later, after learning Courtney and Companion were acting suspiciously and demanding their pensions, Scarberry said he alerted federal authorities that their investigation was blown. There is currently no formal investigation of the leak, the federal official said, adding the FBI could launch a criminal inquiry if it seemed to be intentional. www.policeone.com/officer-misconduct-internal-affairs/articles/1224470/
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 23, 2007 11:15:02 GMT -5
Four veteran Hollywood police officers have been charged in a federal investigation of organized crime and drugs, sources with knowledge of the case said Thursday. The four sources confirmed for the South-Florida Sun-Sentinel that Detective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, have been charged by federal authorities. The officers provided protection and ran drugs and money for FBI agents posing as an organized crime group, according to The Associated Press, which cited an unnamed law enforcement source. Companion, Courtney and Harrison were being held at the federal detention center in Miami, according to officials there. Detention officials declined to say what the exact charges were. Simcox had not surrendered to authorities as of Thursday night, according to his attorney, Bruce Udolf, who declined to comment further. Efforts to reach attorneys Mel Black and Rene Sotorrio, who represent two of the other officers, were unsuccessful late Thursday. It was not known whether the fourth officer had an attorney. Each of the four officers has been employed by the department for more than 10 years. At least three have gotten into previous trouble as officers. Hollywood police declined to discuss the matter, as did the U.S. Attorney's Office. The FBI in Miami could not be reached for comment Thursday night, despite a message left on a spokesman's cell phone. Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti called the matter "an embarrassment." She said she was made aware of the federal investigation weeks ago and found the evidence she has been made privy to "irrefutable." "There is some information in their own words. To me it looks pretty incontrovertible," Giulianti said. She declined to elaborate. "Clearly, if the allegations are true -- and I've got no reason to believe they are not from what I've seen -- it does appear that they have truly dishonored their badge, I believe ruined their lives and harmed their families immeasurably. It's a sad day." Barbara Duffy, an attorney for the Broward County Police Benevolent Association, said she wasn't aware of the charges, but urged people not to jump to conclusions. "They're innocent until proven guilty like anybody else," Duffy said. "I don't know the issues involved yet but let's give them that." Companion, who comes from a long line of police officers, joined the department in 1986. In 1994, a former Hollywood officer sued the department, saying Companion and others sexually harassed her. The woman won the lawsuit and the city had to pay her $205,000, though it admitted no wrongdoing. Companion was later lauded for building bridges with Hollywood's Liberia neighborhood, the community hardest hit by crime in the mid-90s. Companion was known to hand out candy to children while on duty and collect clothes for the homeless. Courtney was hired by Hollywood police in 1991, despite two arrests on charges of driving while intoxicated. It was not known whether he was convicted. He also accidentally shot a sergeant in Pembroke Pines while he was an officer there. In 1995, a large-scale investigation by the department found widespread problems with its hiring and disciplinary practices. Simcox, the longest-serving officer of the four, was hired in 1982. In 1996, he was convicted of grabbing and slapping a 9-year-old boy at a day care center while off duty after the child mocked him. Simcox was convicted of battery by a jury, fined and suspended from the department for a month without pay for the incident. His fellow officers, many of whom thought the suspension was too harsh, raised money so Simcox could pay his bills during the suspension. Harrison was hired in 1997 after leaving the Broward Sheriff's Office. According to published reports, Harrison has been known to compete in boxing matches on behalf of the department for charity. Harrison and two other Hollywood officers won the 2002 statewide 911 Fitness Challenge, which combined fitness, discipline and teamwork. Giulianti said that the arrests don't shake her faith in Chief Jim Scarberry or the department, which has approximately 330 sworn officers. "It may take years before some of the problems that were caused by others come to the surface," she said. "It's not the fault of the good men and women that are there." Details of the charges are expected to be released this morning after a federal court hearing in Fort Lauderdale. www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cofficers23feb23,0,7665785.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
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Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 23, 2007 11:15:02 GMT -5
Four veteran Hollywood police officers have been charged in a federal investigation of organized crime and drugs, sources with knowledge of the case said Thursday. The four sources confirmed for the South-Florida Sun-Sentinel that Detective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, have been charged by federal authorities. The officers provided protection and ran drugs and money for FBI agents posing as an organized crime group, according to The Associated Press, which cited an unnamed law enforcement source. Companion, Courtney and Harrison were being held at the federal detention center in Miami, according to officials there. Detention officials declined to say what the exact charges were. Simcox had not surrendered to authorities as of Thursday night, according to his attorney, Bruce Udolf, who declined to comment further. Efforts to reach attorneys Mel Black and Rene Sotorrio, who represent two of the other officers, were unsuccessful late Thursday. It was not known whether the fourth officer had an attorney. Each of the four officers has been employed by the department for more than 10 years. At least three have gotten into previous trouble as officers. Hollywood police declined to discuss the matter, as did the U.S. Attorney's Office. The FBI in Miami could not be reached for comment Thursday night, despite a message left on a spokesman's cell phone. Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti called the matter "an embarrassment." She said she was made aware of the federal investigation weeks ago and found the evidence she has been made privy to "irrefutable." "There is some information in their own words. To me it looks pretty incontrovertible," Giulianti said. She declined to elaborate. "Clearly, if the allegations are true -- and I've got no reason to believe they are not from what I've seen -- it does appear that they have truly dishonored their badge, I believe ruined their lives and harmed their families immeasurably. It's a sad day." Barbara Duffy, an attorney for the Broward County Police Benevolent Association, said she wasn't aware of the charges, but urged people not to jump to conclusions. "They're innocent until proven guilty like anybody else," Duffy said. "I don't know the issues involved yet but let's give them that." Companion, who comes from a long line of police officers, joined the department in 1986. In 1994, a former Hollywood officer sued the department, saying Companion and others sexually harassed her. The woman won the lawsuit and the city had to pay her $205,000, though it admitted no wrongdoing. Companion was later lauded for building bridges with Hollywood's Liberia neighborhood, the community hardest hit by crime in the mid-90s. Companion was known to hand out candy to children while on duty and collect clothes for the homeless. Courtney was hired by Hollywood police in 1991, despite two arrests on charges of driving while intoxicated. It was not known whether he was convicted. He also accidentally shot a sergeant in Pembroke Pines while he was an officer there. In 1995, a large-scale investigation by the department found widespread problems with its hiring and disciplinary practices. Simcox, the longest-serving officer of the four, was hired in 1982. In 1996, he was convicted of grabbing and slapping a 9-year-old boy at a day care center while off duty after the child mocked him. Simcox was convicted of battery by a jury, fined and suspended from the department for a month without pay for the incident. His fellow officers, many of whom thought the suspension was too harsh, raised money so Simcox could pay his bills during the suspension. Harrison was hired in 1997 after leaving the Broward Sheriff's Office. According to published reports, Harrison has been known to compete in boxing matches on behalf of the department for charity. Harrison and two other Hollywood officers won the 2002 statewide 911 Fitness Challenge, which combined fitness, discipline and teamwork. Giulianti said that the arrests don't shake her faith in Chief Jim Scarberry or the department, which has approximately 330 sworn officers. "It may take years before some of the problems that were caused by others come to the surface," she said. "It's not the fault of the good men and women that are there." Details of the charges are expected to be released this morning after a federal court hearing in Fort Lauderdale. www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cofficers23feb23,0,7665785.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 10, 2007 17:02:05 GMT -5
01.10.2007 - District Attorney Stalls on Interviewing Shooter Cops It lingers in our psyche as insult upon injury. Under their union contract, New York City police officers were given 48 hours to confer with a union representative or a lawyer before they could be made to answer to the Internal Affairs Division. To those of us concerned with police brutality, it was a poke in the eye: two whole days to come up with a story that would fit with the public facts but excuse any police misconduct. But the notorious 48-hour rule is no longer in force. It never had the force of law; it was only a provision in the union contract. The city sought to take it off the table in negotiations with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) and it won before the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). Sensing its loss of privilege, the PBA appealed the PERB decision all the way to the state’s highest court. It lost in March 2006. The Court of Appeals said that the need for “strong disciplinary authority for those in charge of police forces” outweighs the policy of encouraging collective bargaining. But despite the demise of the 48-hour rule, not all of the five officers involved in the shooting of Sean Bell have yet been questioned by Internal Affairs. On Dec. 29, one detective was questioned by the Queens district attorney. He testified without immunity against possible later charges. Another has said he would testify to a grand jury, a sign that he believes his conduct is justifiable. The other three are keeping their options open, as is their right unless and until District Attorney Richard Brown decides to charge them with a crime. But nothing prevents the DA from interviewing each of the officers as witnesses while the events are fresh in their mind. The right against self-incrimination only applies if and when suspicion begins to focus on an individual officer and he becomes a target of a criminal investigation. Why hasn’t District Attorney Brown interviewed all of the officers involved in the shooting of Sean Bell on Nov. 25? The only explanation is that the DA lacks the political will to scrutinize the conduct of the officers of the NYPD. Assistant district attorneys rely on cops each and every day to determine what charges to bring and to help them prove their cases. Prosecutors are reluctant to bite the hand that feeds them information, especially as they become emotionally invested in a case. Civil rights activists are correct to call for a special, independent prosecutor to eliminate this institutional conflict of interest. The governor is permitted to remove the district attorney in a specific case and replace him with his attorney general. Outgoing National Lawyers Guild New York Chapter President Marty Stolar notes that this power was used by George Pataki in 1996 to remove Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson from a case because Johnson said he would not ask for the death penalty. Elliot Spitzer should consider intervening in the Bell case to ensure that all of the evidence comes out. This would be a fitting beginning for a man in whom many have invested their hopes for justice. www.indypendent.org/?p=707
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Post by WaTcHeR on Dec 5, 2006 18:08:28 GMT -5
Survivors Dispute NYPD Account of Queens Shooting 11.06.2006 - NEW YORK -- One of two men wounded in the hail of 50 police bullets that killed their unarmed friend following a bachelor party has for the first time publicly disputed the police version of the incident. In an interview Tuesday at a Queens hospital, Trent Benefield was asked if it was true that a fourth companion, possibly armed, fled the scene of the Nov. 25 shooting outside a Queens strip club. "No,'' he said in a soft voice. "No fourth man.'' Benefield, 23, who was shot three times in the legs, was released from the hospital on Tuesday and was scheduled to meet with the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to Sharpton's office. "My friend's dead,'' Benefield said in an interview with NY1. "I'm shot up. We need justice.'' Lawyers for Benefield and the still-hospitalized Joseph Guzman, 31, say both men also have claimed that none of the five undercover and plainclothes officers identified themselves as police before opening fire. The barrage of bullets killed 23-year-old Sean Bell on the morning of his wedding. The officers "never'' identified themselves, Guzman said, speaking from his bed at Mary Immaculate Hospital in a separate interview published Tuesday by the New York Daily News. About Bell, Guzman said, "I took 16 shots, but a superstar died that night. I loved him.'' Guzman also called on New Yorkers outraged by the shooting to exercise restraint. "No violence, man,'' he said. "No violence. Not in my name.'' Police have said an undercover officer -- part of a team investigating the club for prostitution and drugs -- began following Bell and his friends to their car after overhearing Guzman threaten to retrieve a gun in a dispute with another man. As the car started to pull away, it bumped the officer and then smashed into an unmarked police van, police said. Through his lawyer, the undercover officer has insisted he believed Guzman was pulling a gun when he opened fire on the car; no gun was found. He and other witnesses also have said there was a fourth man in or near the car who escaped on foot. The five officers have been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a grand jury investigation by the Queens district attorney's office. www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2F1010wins.com%2Fpages%2F142701.php%3FcontentType%3D4%26contentId%3D253516
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Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 10, 2007 17:02:05 GMT -5
01.10.2007 - District Attorney Stalls on Interviewing Shooter Cops It lingers in our psyche as insult upon injury. Under their union contract, New York City police officers were given 48 hours to confer with a union representative or a lawyer before they could be made to answer to the Internal Affairs Division. To those of us concerned with police brutality, it was a poke in the eye: two whole days to come up with a story that would fit with the public facts but excuse any police misconduct. But the notorious 48-hour rule is no longer in force. It never had the force of law; it was only a provision in the union contract. The city sought to take it off the table in negotiations with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) and it won before the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). Sensing its loss of privilege, the PBA appealed the PERB decision all the way to the state’s highest court. It lost in March 2006. The Court of Appeals said that the need for “strong disciplinary authority for those in charge of police forces” outweighs the policy of encouraging collective bargaining. But despite the demise of the 48-hour rule, not all of the five officers involved in the shooting of Sean Bell have yet been questioned by Internal Affairs. On Dec. 29, one detective was questioned by the Queens district attorney. He testified without immunity against possible later charges. Another has said he would testify to a grand jury, a sign that he believes his conduct is justifiable. The other three are keeping their options open, as is their right unless and until District Attorney Richard Brown decides to charge them with a crime. But nothing prevents the DA from interviewing each of the officers as witnesses while the events are fresh in their mind. The right against self-incrimination only applies if and when suspicion begins to focus on an individual officer and he becomes a target of a criminal investigation. Why hasn’t District Attorney Brown interviewed all of the officers involved in the shooting of Sean Bell on Nov. 25? The only explanation is that the DA lacks the political will to scrutinize the conduct of the officers of the NYPD. Assistant district attorneys rely on cops each and every day to determine what charges to bring and to help them prove their cases. Prosecutors are reluctant to bite the hand that feeds them information, especially as they become emotionally invested in a case. Civil rights activists are correct to call for a special, independent prosecutor to eliminate this institutional conflict of interest. The governor is permitted to remove the district attorney in a specific case and replace him with his attorney general. Outgoing National Lawyers Guild New York Chapter President Marty Stolar notes that this power was used by George Pataki in 1996 to remove Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson from a case because Johnson said he would not ask for the death penalty. Elliot Spitzer should consider intervening in the Bell case to ensure that all of the evidence comes out. This would be a fitting beginning for a man in whom many have invested their hopes for justice. www.indypendent.org/?p=707
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Post by WaTcHeR on Dec 5, 2006 18:08:28 GMT -5
Survivors Dispute NYPD Account of Queens Shooting 11.06.2006 - NEW YORK -- One of two men wounded in the hail of 50 police bullets that killed their unarmed friend following a bachelor party has for the first time publicly disputed the police version of the incident. In an interview Tuesday at a Queens hospital, Trent Benefield was asked if it was true that a fourth companion, possibly armed, fled the scene of the Nov. 25 shooting outside a Queens strip club. "No,'' he said in a soft voice. "No fourth man.'' Benefield, 23, who was shot three times in the legs, was released from the hospital on Tuesday and was scheduled to meet with the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to Sharpton's office. "My friend's dead,'' Benefield said in an interview with NY1. "I'm shot up. We need justice.'' Lawyers for Benefield and the still-hospitalized Joseph Guzman, 31, say both men also have claimed that none of the five undercover and plainclothes officers identified themselves as police before opening fire. The barrage of bullets killed 23-year-old Sean Bell on the morning of his wedding. The officers "never'' identified themselves, Guzman said, speaking from his bed at Mary Immaculate Hospital in a separate interview published Tuesday by the New York Daily News. About Bell, Guzman said, "I took 16 shots, but a superstar died that night. I loved him.'' Guzman also called on New Yorkers outraged by the shooting to exercise restraint. "No violence, man,'' he said. "No violence. Not in my name.'' Police have said an undercover officer -- part of a team investigating the club for prostitution and drugs -- began following Bell and his friends to their car after overhearing Guzman threaten to retrieve a gun in a dispute with another man. As the car started to pull away, it bumped the officer and then smashed into an unmarked police van, police said. Through his lawyer, the undercover officer has insisted he believed Guzman was pulling a gun when he opened fire on the car; no gun was found. He and other witnesses also have said there was a fourth man in or near the car who escaped on foot. The five officers have been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a grand jury investigation by the Queens district attorney's office. www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2F1010wins.com%2Fpages%2F142701.php%3FcontentType%3D4%26contentId%3D253516
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 30, 2006 14:59:04 GMT -5
Arrests provide lead on missing witness in shooting 11.30.2006 - Investigators closed in Thursday on a key missing witness in the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man with the arrest of four people they say have provided clues to the witness' identity. The arrests were made Wednesday at a house in Queens where police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun and a small amount of drugs, said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Kelly said the raid was related to the investigation of the chaotic police shooting that left 23-year-old Sean Bell dead and two other unarmed men wounded, but refused to elaborate. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the arrests had produced information about the identity of a fourth man who was with the three victims when five officers fired 50 shots at their car, but then disappeared. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation had not been completed. Investigators believe the mysterious fourth man and another missing witness, if found, could provide key answers to what prompted the shooting. The shooting on Saturday has ignited outrage in New York, and civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton visited the scene of the gunfire Wednesday to console the victims’ relatives. Gov. George Pataki and governor-elect Eliot Spitzer also weighed in on the case Wednesday, saying they believed the shooting was excessive. “Obviously, 50 bullets fired into or at an unarmed individual in New York is excessive force,” Pataki said in a news conference, via satellite from Kuwait. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., called for “an aggressive, impartial investigation to ferret out the facts.” Meanwhile, law enforcement officials provided partial descriptions of the two missing witnesses and details about their possible roles, based on accounts from undercover officers and at least one civilian. One of the missing witnesses was last seen dressed in black, standing in front of a sport utility vehicle with silver rims and exchanging glares and insults with Bell. Another man was last seen wearing a beige jacket and running away from Bell’s car as five officers unleashed a 50-bullet barrage. Union officials have suggested that the fourth man could have fled with a gun — a scenario investigators haven’t ruled out. According to an undercover officer, the other witness — the man in black — argued with Bell and his companions as they exited a Queen strip club where Bell was having a bachelor party. The officer was part of a vice team investigating complaints about prostitution and drug dealing at the club. Outside the club, the man in black reached into his pocket as if he had a weapon as Bell challenged him to a fight and one of Bell’s companions, Joseph Guzman, said, “Yo, get my gun,” the officials said, citing the undercover detective’s account. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation has not been completed. The officials said the exchange prompted a second undercover detective to follow Bell and three other men as they walked away toward their car, apparently suspecting the men meant to arm themselves and attack the man in black. The first undercover officer said he lost sight of the group — including the fourth man he described as wearing a beige jacket — as they rounded a corner with the second undercover trailing them on foot. Moments later, the second undercover officer started shooting at the car when Bell, while trying to drive away, bumped him and smashed into an unmarked police van. Through his lawyer, the detective has insisted that he clearly identified himself as a police officer as he tried to stop them. He also has said he spotted Guzman, then sitting in the passenger seat, make a sudden move for his waistband before he and four other officers fired a total of 50 rounds. The third victim, Trent Benefield, told police in a brief interview at the hospital that there was never a fourth person. He also claimed Bell became spooked and tried to take off because he didn’t know the undercover was a police officer. But the shooter insists that the group he followed numbered four, and that at some point he saw the fourth man run away from the car and disappear into the night. “There was a fourth person involved — no doubt,” his attorney, Philip Karasyk, said Wednesday. Another witness seems to back the account: She has told police she looked out the window of her nearby home after hearing gunfire and spotted someone running away from the direction of the shooting scene. She too described a man wearing a beige jacket, the officials said. A law enforcement official close to the case said prosecutors are waiting to examine 911 calls, police radio communications and ballistic reports, which could determine the origin of the deadly shots. Despite a clamor for answers about what happened, the official said it is a complex investigation that requires thoroughness. The community outrage over the shooting was evident Wednesday in signs taped up on a brick wall of an auto body shop near the shuttered strip club. “Death to Police Brutality and Murder,” said one hand-printed sign. “Off the Pigs Who Shoot Our Kids,” said another. Bell’s funeral is scheduled for Friday at the same church where he was to be married. His companions remain hospitalized. www.nydailynews.com/front/story/475979p-400404c.html
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Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 30, 2006 14:59:04 GMT -5
Arrests provide lead on missing witness in shooting 11.30.2006 - Investigators closed in Thursday on a key missing witness in the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man with the arrest of four people they say have provided clues to the witness' identity. The arrests were made Wednesday at a house in Queens where police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun and a small amount of drugs, said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Kelly said the raid was related to the investigation of the chaotic police shooting that left 23-year-old Sean Bell dead and two other unarmed men wounded, but refused to elaborate. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the arrests had produced information about the identity of a fourth man who was with the three victims when five officers fired 50 shots at their car, but then disappeared. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation had not been completed. Investigators believe the mysterious fourth man and another missing witness, if found, could provide key answers to what prompted the shooting. The shooting on Saturday has ignited outrage in New York, and civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton visited the scene of the gunfire Wednesday to console the victims’ relatives. Gov. George Pataki and governor-elect Eliot Spitzer also weighed in on the case Wednesday, saying they believed the shooting was excessive. “Obviously, 50 bullets fired into or at an unarmed individual in New York is excessive force,” Pataki said in a news conference, via satellite from Kuwait. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., called for “an aggressive, impartial investigation to ferret out the facts.” Meanwhile, law enforcement officials provided partial descriptions of the two missing witnesses and details about their possible roles, based on accounts from undercover officers and at least one civilian. One of the missing witnesses was last seen dressed in black, standing in front of a sport utility vehicle with silver rims and exchanging glares and insults with Bell. Another man was last seen wearing a beige jacket and running away from Bell’s car as five officers unleashed a 50-bullet barrage. Union officials have suggested that the fourth man could have fled with a gun — a scenario investigators haven’t ruled out. According to an undercover officer, the other witness — the man in black — argued with Bell and his companions as they exited a Queen strip club where Bell was having a bachelor party. The officer was part of a vice team investigating complaints about prostitution and drug dealing at the club. Outside the club, the man in black reached into his pocket as if he had a weapon as Bell challenged him to a fight and one of Bell’s companions, Joseph Guzman, said, “Yo, get my gun,” the officials said, citing the undercover detective’s account. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation has not been completed. The officials said the exchange prompted a second undercover detective to follow Bell and three other men as they walked away toward their car, apparently suspecting the men meant to arm themselves and attack the man in black. The first undercover officer said he lost sight of the group — including the fourth man he described as wearing a beige jacket — as they rounded a corner with the second undercover trailing them on foot. Moments later, the second undercover officer started shooting at the car when Bell, while trying to drive away, bumped him and smashed into an unmarked police van. Through his lawyer, the detective has insisted that he clearly identified himself as a police officer as he tried to stop them. He also has said he spotted Guzman, then sitting in the passenger seat, make a sudden move for his waistband before he and four other officers fired a total of 50 rounds. The third victim, Trent Benefield, told police in a brief interview at the hospital that there was never a fourth person. He also claimed Bell became spooked and tried to take off because he didn’t know the undercover was a police officer. But the shooter insists that the group he followed numbered four, and that at some point he saw the fourth man run away from the car and disappear into the night. “There was a fourth person involved — no doubt,” his attorney, Philip Karasyk, said Wednesday. Another witness seems to back the account: She has told police she looked out the window of her nearby home after hearing gunfire and spotted someone running away from the direction of the shooting scene. She too described a man wearing a beige jacket, the officials said. A law enforcement official close to the case said prosecutors are waiting to examine 911 calls, police radio communications and ballistic reports, which could determine the origin of the deadly shots. Despite a clamor for answers about what happened, the official said it is a complex investigation that requires thoroughness. The community outrage over the shooting was evident Wednesday in signs taped up on a brick wall of an auto body shop near the shuttered strip club. “Death to Police Brutality and Murder,” said one hand-printed sign. “Off the Pigs Who Shoot Our Kids,” said another. Bell’s funeral is scheduled for Friday at the same church where he was to be married. His companions remain hospitalized. www.nydailynews.com/front/story/475979p-400404c.html
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