Birmingham Officers used too much force, Murder Black Man - family members say

• Relatives of mentally ill Vietnam veteran killed by police in standoff want justice

Relatives of a mentally ill man shot to death this month in a standoff with Birmingham police lashed out Tuesday at the officers' actions that day and demanded an audience with the city's police chief. Nearly two dozen family members of Benjamin "Bennie" Griggs, 58, gathered at a news conference called by the Rev. Abraham Woods, Birmingham's Southern Christian Leadership Conference president. Emotional at times, Griggs' relatives and a handful of civil rights activists said the slaying was "murder" and could have been prevented had they been allowed to talk to him. "He was worth more than that," said nephew Jeffery Heard. "I'm not going to rest until something is done. I want an apology. I want some of those officers to be taken down for it." Griggs died Aug. 6 after a three-hour standoff at his Jefferson Avenue home. Police were called to the home about 11:30 a.m. when police received a call that Griggs was cutting grass with a gun in his hand. Griggs served in the Army and returned from Vietnam mentally ill. [more ]