Houston Police Sergeant offered job back after Killing Latino Man

• Pedro Oregon's family shocked

A Houston police sergeant who led the infamous, and ill-fated raid on an apartment on in southwest Houston is getting his job back. It's been six years since Pedro Oregon was killed during the drug raid that turned up nothing. "It shocked me because I never thought things were going to turn out to be this way," said Susanna Gonzalez, Oregon's sister. Strouse oversaw six members of a gang unit who shot and killed Oregon at this southwest side apartment complex in 1998. The officer claimed to be looking for drugs, but found none. During the raid, shots were fired. One officer was hit by friendly fire. Attorney Paul Nugent said Oregon was hit 12 times, including nine times in the back. "It's wrong and it's outrageous. Pedro was murdered while he was asleep," said Nugent, the Oregon family's attorney. Strouse was fired, but appealed. A hearing examiner ruled there was evidence of mistakes, but said the firing was too harsh a punishment. Strouse, the arbitrator said, should be reinstated as an officer and given some back pay. Oregon's mother said Strouse should not have been reinstated and fears the officer could put others in danger. Appeals are pending for other officers involved in that shooting. [more]

• Police mistook officer's shot as hostile fire during raid, source says [more]
• Police brutality out of control [more]

Feds to Investigate Florida Custody Deaths of 2 Black Men Killed by Cops

The deaths of two people in police custody within the past week will be investigated by federal authorities to determine if civil rights were violated, officials said Thursday in a news conference with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, U.S. Attorney Paul Perez and the FBI. Sheriff John Rutherford said he decided to ask for federal assistance because the deaths of two men over a three-day period had been questioned by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who claimed police were targeting blacks.  The Justice Department and the FBI will investigate the cases of Sammy Evans Jr., 49, who died Friday after he was arrested for public drinking and Ezra Jones, 29, who died Dec. 5 after being shot with pepper spray and put in restraints. An autopsy showed Evans died of a broken neck. The cause of Jones' death has not been released. [more] and [more]

Justice Department to Review Fatal Denver Police Shooting of Unarmed Latino Man

A grand jury's decision this week not to indict an officer who killed a Latino man after mistaking his soda can for a gun has outraged this city's minority community and could lead to a federal civil rights investigation of the Denver Police Department.The incident was one in a string of deadly shootings by police in black and Latino neighborhoods. Outside Denver police headquarters Friday, protesters shouted, "No justice, no peace, control your police!" while holding signs that read: "A soda pop is not a gun!" "I believe the Denver Police Department has been violating the civil rights of citizens of this city for over 30 years," said Kenneth Padilla, attorney for the family of Frank Lobato, the man killed. "They know they can get away with murder, that they will not be prosecuted or held accountable." The Justice Department is looking into the case, and Padilla said the family might file a civil suit against the city. "The FBI and Justice Department will review the findings of the Denver district attorney, and that review will look at potential violations of civil rights," said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Denver. The Lobato shooting occurred July 11 after police responded to a domestic violence call in a west Denver housing project. When they found the front door locked, Officer Ranjan Ford Jr. climbed a ladder and entered the brick row house through a second-floor window. Once inside, he found Lobato, 63, who was not the suspect, lying in bed, watching television. Investigators said Ford mistook the can Lobato was holding for a gun; Lobato was killed by a shot to the chest. The case reminded residents in this city's minority neighborhoods of the shooting death of 15-year-old Paul Childs. The developmentally disabled black youth was killed while holding a knife last year. [more]

• Pictured above: Lobato family lawyer Ken Padilla, second from left, speaks Friday in front of Denver police headquarters. With him are activist LeRoy Lemos, left; Maxine Warren-Martinez, Frank Lobato's niece; and Michael Thompson, uncle of Paul Childs. Childs, 15, also was killed by a Denver officer [more]
  
• Director of Public Safety  to issue Lobato report [more]
• Shooting probe to stay secret[more]
• Family Of Slain Man Protests DA Decision Not To Charge Shooter [more]
  

Kenneth Walker's Family re-Files $100 Million Suit Against Police for Wrongful Death

• Unprovoked, Unarmed, Innocent Black Man Murdered by Police

The family of a man shot to death by a Muscogee County sheriff's deputy a year ago has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the county, the sheriff and the deputy. The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court this week as the one-year anniversary of 39-year-old Kenneth Walker's death was marked. Meanwhile, more than 300 people gathered Friday to remember Walker in a service at St. Mary's Road United Methodist Church the same church where Walker's funeral was held a year ago. Walker, a black insurance analyst, was shot to death Dec. 10, 2003, during a traffic stop connected to a drug investigation. No drugs or guns were found in the vehicle. The lawsuit alleges the shooting was unprovoked and that Walker was cooperating with deputies at the time. An earlier lawsuit in federal court that did not name the county was later withdrawn. The new lawsuit names as defendants Sheriff Ralph Johnson and Deputy David Glisson. Glisson pulled Walker from an S-U-V and then shot him twice. Glisson told investigators Walker was not listening to his commands to get out of the vehicle. Johnson is accused in the suit of not properly training Glisson on when to use excessive force. Glisson, a 20-year-veteran, was fired from his job earlier this year. The department said it could not comment on the lawsuit but has said Glisson was not following department protocol. A grand jury last month decided not to charge him criminally in the killing. Rev. Daryl Stover urged people at the memorial service to continue pushing federal and state officials to take action in the case. "How good is your voice if you sit and be silent?" Stover said. "Things won't change until you get to movin'." [more] and

• "If Kenneth Walker can be killed without cause, then no African-American male is safe on the streets," [more]
  
• Weak Prosecutor Punks Out [more]
  
• Police VIDEO: View the Kenneth Walker tape now (Blurry, no audio) [more] and [more]

Tensions high a year after white Muscogee County deputy killed a Black businessman

A year ago, a sheriff's deputy fired two bullets from a submachine gun into Kenneth Walker's temple. Those shots are still reverberating. Walker, an insurance analyst, was black. David Glisson, the Muscogee County deputy, is white. Glisson thought he was tussling with a drug suspect. Walker, 39, was riding home from partying with friends.The fallout from the hurried struggle on the side of an interstate keeps falling. There was a recall effort against the sheriff and, in November, racially divisive elections for sheriff and district attorney. Biracial reconciliation groups have formed, conspiracy theories abound and distrust permeates Columbus. On Friday, the Walker family filed a $100 million lawsuit against the deputy, the sheriff and the county, alleging that Walker was "executed." The family is represented by Bill Campbell, a former Atlanta mayor, and Willie Gary, a high-octane plaintiffs attorney. Last month, a grand jury  deliberated 41 minutes before voting not to indict Glisson on murder or manslaughter charges. Glisson reportedly made an emotional statement to the panel. "They probably believed it was an accidental shooting," the special prosecutor, Dougherty County District Attorney Ken Hodges, said. [more]

• Judge Allen steps a side [more]
• Walker rally asks for justice [more]

 

New Jersey Officer who Killed Curtis Good May return to Police force

A city police officer whose actions resulted in the death of Curtis Good was in compliance with the state attorney general's guidelines for the use of deadly force, a police department review has found. As a result, police officer Carmen Fazzolari, who was not indicted by a grand jury and has been on paid administrative leave since August, is expected to return to patrol duties once his doctor approves his return to work.  One of Good's brothers, Leon Bradford of Detroit, said he's not surprised at the outcome of the police department's review. He said once the Middlesex County grand jury declined to indict Fazzolari in the Aug. 20 shooting death of his 41-year-old brother, he expected the city to do the same."I do feel he (Fazzolari) committed a wrongful death." Bradford said with 18 years on the job, he thought Fazzolari could have dealt with the situation differently. Rather than shoot to kill, Bradford questions why the officer wasn't able to subdue his brother. "I just feel because of the how it all took place, the officer was negligent," Bradford said. "He murdered our brother. It's just sad." The city already has been notified that the family plans to sue over the shooting and seek $1 million in damages. Bradford said he's also interested in seeing if there is any recourse to appeal the grand jury's decision.  Police were called to the apartment around 1:30 a.m. Aug. 20. Fazzolari went in alone and saw Good crouching in the bedroom, ripping away wall board while searching for something. As Good turned toward him, the officer thought he saw a gun in his hand and fired twice at Good, the report states. When Good lifted a television set threateningly, the officer fired more rounds from his .45-caliber Glock. A total of eight shots were fired. Good was struck six times, with one shot hitting his heart. [more]

NYC Police Shoot & Kill Black man in the Bronx

A Bronx ex-convict was killed by police gunfire early yesterday in an incident that was immediately followed by tense disagreement between the man's family and police over what happened. Carleton Lockhart, 32, was shot once in the left shoulder and once in the abdomen by two uniformed officers from the 46th precinct, who confronted him on West 179th Street near University Avenue, said Insp. Michael Coan, a police spokesman. Lockhart died of his wounds at St. Barnabas Hospital Center. A few minutes before midnight, Lockhart was standing on the street with a small group of men, arguing with one of them over the ownership of a cellphone;on that everyone agreed. What happened next was portrayed by police as the pursuit of a possibly armed suspect by two police units happening upon a volley of bullets. But a friend of the victim's who said he witnessed the incident, and the family's attorney, both called the killing an injustice. Police said Lockhart pistol-whipped and then fired three shots at an 18-year-old man with whom he had been arguing. The man later told police at the 46th precinct stationhouse that Lockhart fired at him, according to a police source. "I can't believe he missed me," the source quoted the man as saying, adding that three witnesses corroborated the man's account. One of the officers tackled Lockhart to a wall before firing a round, while the other officer fired two rounds, police said. It was not clear yesterday which bullets struck the victim.  Several neighbors who witnessed yesterday's shooting gave different accounts. One man, who declined to identify himself, insisted that Lockhart was not armed. Another witness, Oscar Ortiz, 26, said he saw from his window on West 179th Stret that more than two officers fired their weapons at Lockhart, who cried for them to stop. The family's attorney, William Ferro, said the facts did not add up. [more] and [more]

Supreme Court Sides With Police Over Deadly Force

The Supreme Court refused Monday to clarify when police can use deadly force to stop fleeing criminal suspects but said a lower court got it wrong in allowing a lawsuit against an officer in Washington state who shot a burglary suspect. Law enforcement groups and 16 states had encouraged the court to use the officer's appeal to clarify protection for officers from lawsuits when they injure or kill fleeing felons. Instead, the court issued an unsigned opinion that found only that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco erred in ruling that the officer, Rochelle Brosseau, clearly violated the suspect's constitutional rights. Brosseau shot Kenneth Haugen in 1999 as he fled in his Jeep to avoid being arrested for drug charges and for questioning in a burglary in Puyallup, Wash., a city of about 35,000 people in the Puget Sound region 10 miles east of Tacoma. Haugen pleaded guilty to fleeing police but then filed suit claiming a civil rights violation. He suffered a punctured lung in the shooting but recovered. The 9th Circuit, which is frequently overturned by the Supreme Court, said Brosseau should face a jury. "Officer Brosseau shot an unarmed man in the back as he attempted to drive away from her. In these circumstances, the officer's actions should be second-guessed," justices were told in a filing by Haugen's attorney, Bonnie Robin-Vergeer of the Public Citizen Litigation Group. On the other side, the officer's actions were praised by law enforcement groups and states. [more]

Whispers of lynching cloud hanging inquiry in Temple Terrace, Miss.

• Damien Johnson was found hanging in a tree. Police say the death was a suicide; the man's friends and family suspect something much worse.

It's been 11 weeks since a worker in an office park found a horrifying sight in the neighboring woods: a black man hanging from a tree. Police say they think Damien Johnson took his own life. But Johnson's family and an assortment of other people - including a former Temple Terrace City Council candidate - say they don't trust what the police are saying. They suspect he was murdered. The specter of a black man found hanging conjures dark images from America's history of lynching. Because of that past, "it's hard for an African-American to take at face value the reports handed down by police personnel," said Ben Chaney, brother of civil rights icon James Chaney, a voting rights worker killed in Mississippi in 1964. Chaney said he is working to form a group called the National Coalition Against Lynchings to collect information about suspicious hangings in the South. Critics of the Damien Johnson investigation are seeking answers they may never get. On the night of Sept. 21, Johnson left his boarding house near the University of South Florida. The 24-year-old's body was found the next day, five miles away at Tampa Telecom Park off Fletcher Avenue. A two-day police investigation concluded that Johnson climbed onto a limb 15 feet up, tied knots around the branch and his neck with a bedsheet, and dropped toward the ground. Detectives and medical examiners say they found no signs of a struggle or bruises on Johnson's 6-foot-5, 170-pound frame. Temple Terrace Deputy Police Chief Patricia Powers defends the department's investigation and says officers kept an open mind to the possibility of a lynching. But "all the facts supported a finding of suicide," she said. Family and friends say Johnson was not the person police portray. They describe a struggling but ambitious father-to-be who had reasons to want to live.  [more]

Coweta County (Ga). Dead man's mother: Hanging not suicide

• 21 Year Old Bernard Burden found hanging on 10/13
  

The mother of a man found hanged in Coweta County last month remains convinced that her son was the victim of foul play and not a suicide, as the coroner concluded. Tamathy Pless said she is dissatisfied with the progress in the investigation of how Bernard C. Burden, her 21-year-old son, died. He was found hanging from an oak tree in the yard of a friend on Oct. 13. His feet were touching the ground. "Bernard did not hang himself in that tree. Nobody is going to convince me of that, with his hands free and all he had to do was stand up," said Pless, who led a rally Saturday in Grantville, about 50 miles south of Atlanta, to protest the slow pace of the investigation. "He was put there," she told about two dozen supporters, who included members of the Rev. Hosea Williams Peoples Church of Love. While the image of a black man's 6-foot-6-inch body hanging from a tree may conjure up troubling Southern stereotypes, authorities maintain that Burden took his own life. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said it did not find "one iota of evidence to point to foul play" in its initial investigation.  The hanging occurred at the home of Burden's best friend, Christopher Andrew Ward, 20, who is white. Burden, a troubled youth who had admitted to drug use and was on probation for fighting at East Coweta High School, had lived with Ward's family off and on for nearly a year. Ward found Burden while walking his dogs early in the morning. He told police he thought Burden was playing a joke, because although there was a rope around his neck, he was hanging so low from the tree that he could have stood up. For much of the night before he died, Ward said, Burden was upset over the prospect of breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, Charity Hope Watson, who is white. He also said Burden was concerned that he might have to go back to jail for violating his parole because he was caught driving with a suspended driver's a license. "I know Bernard; he didn't hang himself," said Brandon O'Neal. [more]

• Grantville march, rally focuses on Bernard Cantrell death [more]

Jesse Jackson's Son gets Profiled: Cops stop, frisk son, 2 associates

Jonathan Jackson, a son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, was pulled over by police in Little Village on Tuesday night in what his father calls "a classic case of [racial] profiling.'' Jonathan Jackson said he and two acquaintances -- also African-American men -- were ordered to exit his car. They then were spread-eagled, frisked and escorted into the back of a squad car before their release about an hour later. "Hands spread, legs spread, patted down,'' he said. Jackson, 38, a partner with his brother Yusef in an Anheuser-Busch distributorship, as well as a partner in a wireless retailer, said there was no reason for the stop in the largely Mexican-American neighborhood. The next day, Jackson checked the car for anything that might have attracted police attention and noticed the license plate sticker had expired about six months ago. But the officers never mentioned it, he said, and police did not issue him any citations. The police Office of Professional Standards is investigating his allegation, said spokesman Dave Bayless. "Department policy clearly states any form of biased-based policing is not a legitimate law-enforcement tactic,'' he said. [more]

3 testify they saw police brutality against Black Women

Three former employees of a North Highlands fast-food restaurant testified in federal court Thursday that they witnessed what they believed was police brutality in the aftermath of a traffic stop by a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy. The trio were called as witnesses on the second day of trial of a civil rights lawsuit by three African American women against the county and three sheriff's deputies. The witnesses were closing and cleaning Der Wienerschnitzel on Watt Avenue and A Street just after midnight May 11, 2002, when Deputy Heather Sullivan stopped Andrea Torres in a nearby parking lot on suspicion of running a light and driving with no rear license plate. Torres accused Sullivan of racial profiling and, before long, Sgt. Gregory Johnson and Deputy David Leon were on the scene, as were Torres' cousin and aunt, Precious Williams and Dianne Campbell. Each side claims the others attacked first, but the situation deteriorated into what one of the restaurant employees likened to a World Wrestling Entertainment event. "I felt that what was going on in front of me just shouldn't be happening," Joshua Rodriguez, then Der Wienerschnitzel night manager, testified Thursday. "It seemed like excessive force. The women did not seem to me to be threatening at all." The women's attorney, Stewart Katz, played for the jury a recording of a call Rodriguez made to 911. "I'm at Wienerschnitzel and there's a bunch of cops out here, and it looks like they are being really rough with two black females," he told the emergency operator. "It looked like I seen two cops giving a couple (punches) to the jaw." "OK. Thank you," the operator responded and ended the call. [more]

6 year Old Boy Tasered by Miami Police Will Sue

The family of a 6-year-old boy shot at school with a police Taser stun gun has filed formal notice that it plans to sue the Miami-Dade County School Board and the Miami-Dade Police Department. In letters dated Nov. 29, David Gordon, one of the boy's attorneys, informed police and school officials of his intent to sue over negligence and civil rights claims. Under Florida law, suits cannot be filed against government agencies until six months after such letters have been written. The boy, a first-grader at Kelsey Pharr Elementary School, was agitated and holding a piece of glass in an assistant principal's office on Oct. 20. Unable to subdue him, administrators called 911. Two county police officers and a schools police officer responded. After a standoff, Miami-Dade officer Marie Abbott zapped the boy after checking first with a supervisor, who told her there was no department policy regarding using a Taser on children. In one letter, Gordon said Abbott acted ''negligently and recklessly'' in shooting the boy with the 50,000-volt Taser, and that the department was negligent ''in the creation of its policy and training program, or lack thereof with regard to the use of Tasers on a child of tender years.'' In the other letter, he said the district was negligent for hiring and not properly training the staff involved in the incident.  Miami-Dade Police Director Bobby Parker has previously defended use of the stun gun, saying it was the safest way to get control of the boy so he could not harm anyone. [more]

Officer won't be charged in shooting of 63 Yr. Old, Unarmed, Bed Ridden Latino man

• 38th consecutive time that Prosecutor declined to prosecute a Denver officer after a fatal shooting

A Denver grand jury charged with investigating the police shooting death of an innocent man deadlocked on whether to indict or exonerate officer Ranjan Ford Jr., the district attorney's office announced Wednesday. The stalemate left open the option for District Attorney Bill Ritter, who has never charged an officer involved in a shooting, to charge Ford in the July 11 killing of 63-year-old Frank Lobato. But Ritter told a press conference Wednesday afternoon that he couldn't "ethically go forward believing that I can convince 12 people beyond a reasonable doubt that he's committed the elements of the crime charged."  Police were sweeping through Frank Lobato's home in July, searching for a domestic-violence suspect, when an officer saw a can of soda in his hand, thought it was a gun and fired into the 63-year-old's chest, authorities said. The decisions made by the jury and Ritter outraged Lobato's family and raised concerns within the community. "How Bill Ritter, as the guardian of justice for residents of Denver, could turn his back on fairness and responsibility, is despicable," Lobato's children said in a written statement. Members of City Council also expressed disappointment. "This is the type of thing that really spreads concern in the community," Council President Elbra Wedgeworth said. "This is a prime example of where we need a police monitor." Lobato's death was the latest in a series of controversial police shootings that triggered reforms in the police use-of-force policy and the department's civilian oversight. [more] and [more]

• Lobato was shot in his bed while holding a soda can, which investigators said Ford likely mistook for a weapon. The shooting sparked community controversy. Lobato was shot after officers climbed a ladder and went through a window into a home at 1234 W. 10th Ave. while looking for a domestic-violence suspect. Lobato was not involved in that assault case.[more]
• Officer argues for 1-day penalty [more]
•  Latino Man had a Soda Can in his hand, NOT A GUN. Police shoot and kill. [more]
• Shootings by Denver Police Prompt Outcry: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH [more]

Relatives of Frank Lobato may file civil rights lawsuit

The family of Frank Lobato may file a federal civil rights lawsuit in the fatal police shooting of the 63-year-old invalid, their attorney announced Wednesday. The announcement came hours after Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter said that a Denver grand jury could not agree to indict or not to indict officer Ranjan Ford, who shot Lobato. Ritter said he will not prosecute the officer. "All we're interested in is justice," said family attorney Kenneth A. Padilla during a news conference outside his Lafayette Street office. It's unclear when the suit could be filed, but it would likely name the officer, the Denver Police Department and the commanding officers as defendants, Padilla said. At the same time, Padilla may ask a state district court to question Ritter about why he decided against charging Ford. The hope, he said, would be that the court would order prosecution. Another possibility, he said, is to ask the U.S. attorney's office to investigate the shooting. Because governments are immune from lawsuits unless their actions are extremely egregious, the Lobato family may have a hard time winning a civil suit, said former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman. Still, a civil lawsuit is easier to win than a criminal case. Criminal charges must be proved to a unanimous jury beyond a reasonable doubt. In a civil case, a jury need only find that an event is more likely to have happened than not. [more]

Lawsuit filed in August Monroe Police shooting of Black Man -- Shot 17 Times

The City of Monroe and the police chief have been slapped with a lawsuit in connection with the August 22nd shooting death of William Henderson. The suit was filed by Monica Bruce, Henderson's ex-wife. Mayor Jamie Mayo, Chief Ron Schleuter, the City of Monroe, and ten police officers are named as defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Henderson's minor children. The civil suit contends that Henderson was unarmed and did not pose any threat to the officers and was walking away from them at the time of the shooting. According to the suit, police shot Henderson 17 times, though they knew of his history of mental illness and dealt with him previously in a nonviolent way. State police have turned over to the D-A's office a report on their investigation into the shooting. [more]

• Pictured above: Monica Bruce with her son, Marcus Bruce, talks about William Mark Hederson Sr. on Monday in Monroe.

Questions Surround Samuel Evans' Death - NAACP Meets With Sheriff

The NAACP has been researching the death of Samuel Evans, the Springfield man who died last week while in police custody. There is some controversy as to the details leading up to Evans death, controversy over whether police may have used excessive force on Evans. According to reports, police officers approached Evans and some others while they were consuming alcoholic beverages outside. According to witnesses, the altercation ended with the officers slamming Evans to the ground head first. However, police deny this. Members  of  the NAACP and members of the Black Ministers Alliance met with  Sheriff John Rutherford, were expected to discuss the case on Tuesday. "It's open season against African Americans," says NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin. "We are gonna give them justice in this case, Whatever that might be. It's going to be a thorough investigation and let the chips fall where they may," says Sheriff John Rutherford. The NAACP was pleased with how the meeting went and what Sheriff Rutherford promised. "He's considered bringing in an independent source in to do the investigation, the Justice Department, we're very pleased with that," says Rumlin. Evan's family was not as pleased. His brother, Barney Evans says, "They murdered my brother. The Sheriff, he still had this mad maniac out on the street." The NAACP says that investigation as well as the Evans incident is proof JSO is targeting blacks. "We want to know how many citations, how many tickets have been issued to African Americans in this community," says Rumlin. [more] and [more] and [more]

• Witnesses Speak Out About Officers' Excessive Force [more]
• 2 Die In Police Custody: 1 Identified; Arresting Officer Faces More Abuse Claims [more]

Jacksonville Officer Resigns after Killing Black Man

"Officer should go to prison, like a murderer's supposed to do"
The officer at the center of controversy surrounding the death of Sammy Evans who died while in police custody, was already under investigation by the Internal Affairs Office of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.  On Saturday night,  JSO released the findings of its investigation into allegations of unnecessary force against Officer K.D. Underwood. ' The investigation stemmed from a complaint made by a fellow rookie cop who claimed Underwood kicked a juvenile three times with his knee while the young man was handcuffed on the ground in September 2004.Tonight the family and friends of Samuel Evans are left to grieve for a father, a brother, an uncle and a friend. But at the same time they're hoping for what they call, 'justice' from the sheriff's department. They say they want criminal charges filed against former officer Underwood. Samuel Evans' brother, Barney Evans, spoke on behalf of the family. "What would help and begin some healing and begin to make the community feel a little better (is) if Underwood, the cop that resigned and his buddies that were with him, the other four, that they resign, (with) no pension. Underwood, should go to prison, like a murderer's supposed to do." Samuel Evans' daughter Twalla Kirkland, also says it's too coincidental for the officer to resign today with all that has happened. "His resignation speaks for itself, you know? [more]

Minneapolis Police Caught on Videotape Kicking Unarmed Black Man

• Charges Against Jhontez Watson Dropped
  

There is a new development tonight involving videotape that shows a Minneapolis police officer apparently kicking a suspect in the head. This videotape, obtained exclusively by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS shows police trying to arrest Jhontez Watson in downtown Minneapolis in June of 2003. While Watson is on the ground, Ofc. John Lalazurne could be seen in the footage kicking him in the head. Two other officers said Watson hit them that night.  Watson was charged with assault but those charges have now been dropped. The county attorney's office says the tape was a factor in dismissing the charges.  It was not available when the charges were initially filed. Watson's mother, Gertrude Touray, and girlfriend, Patrice Boney, said Watson was involved in a shoving match with police outside the Quest nightclub before the the videotape began. "They were saying things to him and he was saying things back and then they started shoving," Touray said. "He pushed the police officer off of him and he ran." After the kick, police wrestled with Watson to get him into the squad car.  [more] and [more] and [more] SEE Video [here] or [here]