Rights group urges Texas Taser moratorium - Policy review is needed after man's death, ACLU says

The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for police departments across Texas to stop using Tasers until policies and training are reviewed in the wake of a Houston man's death on Friday. The ACLU's call for a moratorium was spurred, in part, by the death of mental health patient Joel Casey, who died on his 52nd birthday after being shocked by a Taser gun while fighting with Harris County Precinct 1 deputy constables. Casey's exact cause of death has not been determined, but deputies later learned he had a history of heart problems and hepatitis B — issues not disclosed in paperwork sent by a private psychiatric center to the constable's office. Even so, local law enforcement agencies polled Tuesday say they have no plans and have not heard of any intentions by their command staffs to stop using the Tasers. They say the stun gun has proved to be a valuable tool and consider it a success. ACLU chapters in Colorado and northern California have sought similar moratoriums. Just last week, a sheriff in Toledo, Ohio, suspended his office's use of Tasers after an inmate who died was shocked with the stun gun many times at a county jail. Meanwhile, a civil rights activist expressed concern about how often Tasers are used by Houston Police Department officers. Houston police have used Tasers about 140 times since the devices were bought in November — a rate of about one or two instances a day, said HPD Lt. Robert Manzo. [more]

Marion Barry's Son Allegedly Attacked by DC Police

Christopher Barry, the adult son of D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry, was charged with assaulting a police officer Friday night after police said he repeatedly punched an officer sent to investigate a possible disturbance. "For no apparent reason he just attacked one of the officers," said Capt. Angel Medina, of the First District, where the arresting officers are assigned. "He just reacted and put one of the officers in a headlock and started to punch him." Christopher Barry, 24, was released on his own recognizance yesterday pending a preliminary hearing March 10.  Barry's attorney, A. Scott Bolden, said his client did nothing wrong. Bolden said the officers assaulted Barry after entering the apartment without a warrant or probable cause.  "My client didn't assault anyone. If you look at the bruises on his face and nose, he clearly was the one who was assaulted by police," Bolden said. "There were three police officers against one guy who did not resist, did not assault anyone. This case requires a lot more investigation by the government." He says it's strange that there was no other charge or reason given for the scuffle.  Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said the matter will be fully investigated if Christopher Barry files a complaint with the Civilian Complaint Review Board. "Until it is proven otherwise, I believe what my officers are telling me," Ramsey said. According to a court document, three officers responded to the Court Square Apartments in the 700 block of Fourth Street NW about 9:45 p.m. Friday after receiving a call about a possible disturbance or domestic dispute. When they arrived, the document indicates, the officers heard loud music and smelled "a strong odor" they suspected was marijuana. After no one answered the door, the officers opened an unlocked door, according to the document.  Christopher Barry, the report states, then tried to close the door on the officer's arm. Barry, who was apparently alone in the apartment, then put Officer M. Fanone in a headlock and "began striking" the officer "numerous times with a closed fist," according to the report. After two other officers subdued him, Barry was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he was treated and later released. Fanone suffered abrasions in the scuffle and was treated at Washington Hospital Center, Medina said.  Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) released a statement yesterday asking that his son's privacy be respected. "My son, Marion Christopher Barry, is a private citizen, not an elected official," Barry said. "His arrest is a private family matter."[more] and  [more]

• Media Won't Stop Showing clip of Barry Smoking Crack [more]
• Barry's Council Salary To Be Garnished To Pay Campaign Debt [more]
  

FBI to probe LAPD killing of 13-year-old Black Boy

The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation Wednesday into the controversial police shooting of 13-year-old Devin Brown, while the Los Angeles Police Department tried to calm community outrage by releasing preliminary details of how a joyriding incident turned deadly. "The FBI has now joined the investigation and will be looking into this from the U.S. Attorney's Office perspective, related to potential civil-rights violations -- similar to the (federal investigation of the) Stanley Miller incident," LAPD Chief William Bratton said at a press conference. Bratton said that, before the Police Commission meeting Tuesday, he plans to outline a new policy that would prohibit officers from shooting into moving vehicles with some exceptions. Such a policy has been under consideration for a year. "We already have one of the tightest policies in the country. We are going to tighten the policy a little more, put additional language in to assist our officers in making decisions at the conclusion of these pursuits," said Bratton, adding that he is also redefining the amount of force officers will be allowed to use. The fatal shooting at the end of a police pursuit Sunday has ignited outrage among African-American community leaders, who have said Officer Steve Garcia, a nine-year veteran of the LAPD, was too quick to fire 10 shots into the stolen Toyota Camry. [more]

LA police, seeking 'transparency,' show evidence in shooting of Black 13 Year Old

• Message is basically please Don't Riot

Police officials, trying to show openness in the face of high community concern, took the unusual step Wednesday of revealing physical evidence from the scene where an officer fatally shot a 13-year-old black youth who was driving a stolen car that backed into the police car after a brief chase. Police Chief William Bratton said the investigative information released at a televised news conference was intended to fulfill a promise of delivering "as much transparency as we can provide." Officials also said that, at the Police Department's request, the FBI joined the investigation into the killing of Devin Brown shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in South Los Angles. The evidence was detailed for the public after officials showed it to the area's City Council representative and to more than 50 members of clergy from the area. South Los Angeles residents and leaders of the African American community expressed outrage over the shooting, which followed a brief pursuit.  "The residents are very disturbed over this tragic and needless shooting," said John Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League. "We have a pattern here where some police officers don't value the lives of young African American males. There's a frustration here that's building up and makes it difficult to build a partnership with police."  Dozens of area residents gathered in protest Monday around the corner of West 83rd Street and South Western Avenue where Devin was shot. At a makeshift memorial site, placards and notes were left criticizing officers for heavy-handed police work. "LAPD, thank you for giving us another reason for disliking your service," read one.  Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) urged the community to "demand justice and become even more creative in ways to shame the establishment for tolerating this kind of abuse in our city." [more] and [more]

• Pictured above: In this copy photo taken from a television screen show at a news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005, conducted by Los Anegeles Police Chief Michael Barkow and Deputy Chief Michael Berkow at the Los Angeles Police Department, a Los Angeles Police car is seen next to a suspect's vehicle after an officer was involved in a shooting early Sunday. Bratton and Berkow spoke with reporters about the details of the fatal police shooting of a 13-year-old suspected car thief. [more]
• Latino Man Shotby LA Police  Trying to Douse Himself with Gasoline [more]

LAPD Policy is to Shoot at Vehicles that Black Men are Driving - Chief Promises to Change

A day after saying that a new policy to limit police shootings into moving vehicles would take up to 45 more days to complete, Police Chief William J. Bratton abruptly promised, amid growing protests Tuesday, to release the policy next week. Bratton had first called for a policy change a year ago. His decision to move faster came as he, Mayor James K. Hahn and other city officials struggled to respond to protests over the fatal shooting of Devin Brown. The 13-year-old African American boy was shot repeatedly by a Los Angeles Police Department officer around 4 a.m. Sunday after he led police on a short pursuit that ended, authorities say, when he tried to back into a police cruiser. At an emotion-filled meeting of the Police Commission, a march and vigil near the scene of the shooting in South Los Angeles and a forum at a neighboring church, community activists, pastors and others decried the shooting as the latest example of what they called a pattern of LAPD abuse of black Angelenos. "People are tired of our children being gunned down like dogs. They could have pointed a flashlight on him," said the Rev. Ozell Clifford Brazil, associate minister of Bethel AME Church, host of Tuesday night's forum. Devin was killed less than a week after prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against an LAPD officer who was captured on videotape last June as he hit a black man, Stanley Miller, with a heavy aluminum flashlight. That decision also was condemned by African American leaders, and the back-to-back incidents heightened tensions.[more]

• Police Kill Driver, 13, at End of Chase [more]
• Broad Review of LAPD Use of Force Urged [more]
  
• Plan to Raise LA Sales Tax to pay for more Cops Fails [more] These folks are NOT protecting anybody. They are simply guarding the cage.
  
• Snoop Dogg, The Game and comedien Steve Harvey are reportedly contributing funds toward the child's funeral arrangements. [more]
  

• LAPD kills 13-year-old boy by Congresswoman Maxine Waters [more] Message to the Honorable Congresswoman: Wake-Up. Police Brutality is not just a Black problem and it is also NOT just an LA problem. Black & Brown people are catching Beat -  Downs all over the country. As a Congressional leader perhaps you could do something on a National Level. BW
  

Witness Speaks Out About Brutal Beating of Black Man By Grand Rapids Police -- NO Officers Charged Yet

• Internal probe of beating on hold [more]

For the first time, an eyewitness has described what happened the night several off-duty Milwaukee police officers allegedly beat a man in October. Frank Jude was allegedly beaten by a group of off-duty Milwaukee police officers. "I'm glad that the damages he has now, luckily, are a lot better than what I thought they were going to be," the victim's friend, Kirsten Antonissen said. Antonissen placed a 911 call last October outside a house party in Bay View. "There's got to be at least 10 ... They're kicking him too ... They're beating the hell out of him. Oh my God," Antonissen said. Four officers, Jon Bartlett, Andrew Spengler, Ryan Packard and Daniel Masarik, have not been charged with a crime, but are suspended. Antonissen and her friend, Katie Brown, said there were more than four off-duty officers involved that night. "I guess my main reason for speaking out is to try to convince somebody who knew and was there can finally come forward and start talking," Antonissen said. Jude was out for the night with the women. Afterward, the three, along with Lovell Harris, went to a party hosted by an officer. Later, they went out to sit in Antonissen's truck. That's when, the women said, an officer dragged Jude out and accused him of stealing a badge and allegedly started beating him. Harris, who said he was also assaulted, believes the incident was racially motivated. "These guys are supposed to serve and protect the law, and they broke the law. So I don't trust the police," Harris said. [more] and[more]

• City leaders want Milwaukee police to talk, get probe moving [more]
• Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett wants officers there to tell investigators what they know. [more]
• In beating, silence of cops reeks of guilt [more]
• Doris Jude Porter speaks at a rally in the 800 block of W. State St. in Milwaukee Thursday. [more]
• Latino Community has Hearing Concerning Grand Rapids Police Brutality [more]

Grand Rapids Police Playing Games in Probe of Brutal Beating of Black Man

• Prosecutors haven't questioned eye- witnesses

More than three months after Frank Jude Jr. was severely beaten by a dozen men who identified themselves as off-duty Milwaukee police officers, prosecutors investigating the matter have not questioned a friend who was with Jude that night. They set up an interview with Lovell Harris Monday, the day after the Journal Sentinel first published Jude's photo and reported new details about the Oct. 24 attack outside a party at an off-duty officer's home in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood. Deputy District Attorney Jon Reddin, the lead prosecutor in the case, is set to interview Harris today. Harris' attorney, Michael Bishop, said a man from the party cut Harris' face with a knife, and told him to turn around, threatening to cut his buttocks, but Harris ran. Jude was beaten by others, stripped of his pants and threatened with a knife, according to Jude's attorney and witnesses. The investigation has been hampered by officers who were there but won't tell everything they know, either because they committed crimes or are protecting those who did, District Attorney E. Michael McCann said last week. Jude can't identify his attackers, and two women who witnessed it can pick out only a couple of suspects. Harris could fill in more of the picture. Reddin and other prosecutors have questioned Jude several times, and last month they interviewed two women who witnessed the beating, but never called for Harris, Bishop said. [more]

New Richmond Police chief hands over Blount file - Dept. has been Evasive in Suspicous Death of Black Man

In one of his first moves as Richmond police chief, Rodney Monroe ordered his staff to hand over the internal affairs file on the Sept. 20 fatal shooting of East End robbery suspect Curtis Blount to the commonwealth attorney's office. Four thick binders of investigation materials and documents made the five-minute trip Monday from police headquarters at 200 W. Grace St. to the office of Commonwealth's Attorney David M. Hicks at 400 N. Ninth St. -- thus taking Monroe just a few hours to do what his predecessor had refused to do for months. "I am glad we can move forward on this," Hicks said. "I commend the chief on getting off to a start in which all of us can work together." A memorandum summarizing the report, obtained last week by The Times-Dispatch, states that the internal affairs investigation into the shooting determined that Blount fatally shot himself after being cornered in an alley by police officers near the corner of Mosby Street and Fairmount Avenue. The report states that an officer from Virginia Commonwealth University witnessed Blount point his gun to his head and shoot. The memorandum also states that Richmond Police officers and another officer from VCU fired a total of 10 times during the incident, striking no one. Hicks had been denied a copy of the report in November by former Chief André Parker, despite the fact that the commonwealth attorney's office is responsible for determining whether criminal charges are filed in such cases. The police eventually allowed a representative of Hicks' office to review the report in December but never provided the documents to his office. [more]

• Investigation Sought in Richmond Police's Third Mysterious Death of a Suspect in 2004 [more]

• Outside inquiry sought in city death [more]

Hobbs Is Roiled by Shooting of Latino Man by Dirty Cop. Witness Say Police Lying Again

Near dusk on Wednesday, Jan. 19, city police officer Reid Gunter spotted 23-year-old Francisco Barva riding a mini-motorcycle near the intersection of Thorp and Gypsy on the city's impoverished south side. Just an hour earlier, Gunter and another officer had approached Barva and several friends at a house on the 300 block of Gypsy Street and warned them the scooter was not "street legal," according to a police report. The officers warned the men they would be cited if they were caught riding the bike on the street again. Seeing the lanky Barva, a Mexican immigrant who struggled with English, riding the minibike again, Gunter, 24, activated his patrol car lights and pursued Barva onto Gypsy, trying to make him stop. A few chaotic minutes later, Barva, who was carrying a gun, lay on the street dying. Gunter had shot him in the head. In a city where the police department has been subjected to numerous lawsuits in recent years alleging discriminatory treatment of blacks and Hispanics, the case has stirred feelings of mistrust and raised questions about how the case is being handled. At least four people who say they witnessed the shooting have questioned the preliminary version of events from law officers— that Barva first pointed a handgun at Gunter before sustaining the fatal shot. While the investigation was only a day old, and before all eyewitnesses had been independently interviewed, Bohn publicly said he believed Gunter had properly followed protocol leading to his use of deadly force. Meanwhile, the four witnesses who said they did not see Barva threaten Gunter with a handgun were not interviewed by sheriff's detectives until nine days after the shooting. An officer chasing Barva said he saw the suspect toss a shiny object as he ran from police after the Dec. 8 shoplifting incident. Three days later, a local resident discovered a .22-caliber handgun believed to be Barva's in his front yard. But a fingerprint analysis was not able to match the gun to Barva, according to reports.
   
Shooting Officer has Troubled Past
Officer Gunter has found himself under scrutiny for his conduct as a law officer. He has been the subject of three citizen complaints alleging excessive use of force since January 2002. Internal investigations cleared him in all three cases, Bohn said. Two of those cases involved using physical force to subdue suspects and one involved pointing a weapon during a traffic stop at motorists who reportedly shot at citizens.He was one of five Hobbs police officers highlighted in 2003 court documents filed by plaintiffs in the follow-up to the 1999 class-action discrimination lawsuit. The court documents said that Gunter was one of five officers who, in the third and fourth quarters of 2002, accounted for 40 percent of all the times that Hobbs officers used force against the public. "This is ... a disturbingly high figure for only five out of approximately 80 HPD officers," according to a footnote in the document filed by attorneys Daniel Yohalem and Richard Rosenstock. Gunter alone was involved in 22 use-of-force incidents— or 5.1 percent— of the 427 total force cases generated by the department's roughly 70 officers during 2003 and 2004, police records show. In Gunter's 22 use-of-force cases in the past two years, he drew or pointed his firearm in four cases, according to HPD. Gunter did not discharge his weapon in those cases. [more] and
[more] and  [more] and [more]

Police Shooting Victim's Family Responds To Decision to Clear Officer that Killed 15 Yr. Old Courtney Williams

The family of a 15-year-old boy shot by a Minneapolis police officer and members of a community police oversight group say they can't support a grand jury decision to clear the officer.  The group met with Minneapolis Police Chief William McManus for 21/2 hours and say they still have many unanswered questions about what happened the night Courtney Williams was killed by officer Scott Mars in late October. The officer said he repeatedly yelled for the boy to stop and fired after the boy stopped and raised an arm. He said he heard the boy say he had a gun.  Authorities say a pellet gun that resembled a .45-caliber pistol was found 10 to 15 feet from Williams' body. They say his fingerprint was on the gun.  McManus said he believes the officer was justified in firing the shot.  The boy's family and Relations Council officials want to see a transcript of the grand jury's deliberations and some said grand jury proceedings need to be opened to the public."There's still lots of questions about the three to five minutes that led up to the shooting and then just the chaos that insued afterwards; what really happened?" said Ella Davis Suggs, Williams' aunt. She says the family is still in shock over the shooting.  In fact Suggs says Williams' mother left town for a few days in order to get away from the proceedings surrounding her son's death. Suggs says the family believes the police conducted a thorough investigation. But she says there's more questions to be answered. "The pieces that are still missing, like some of the questions, like the proximity of the shooting. Some of the forensic information. What transpired between the paramedics and the hospital? [more]

Unarmed African Man Gunned Down by NY Police - Was Selling Counterfeit CD's

•  Zongo family stifles anger at cop in court

The widow and brothers of an African immigrant fatally shot by a cop in Chelsea two years ago said they were seething with anger when they saw the officer for the first time in a Manhattan courtroom yesterday. "She said she was ready to yell and cry, but she knew she was in a courtroom and she cannot do anything. Just accept," said Mohamed Debassy, an interpreter for Salimata Sanfo, the widow of Ousmane Zongo, who was shot four times by Officer Bryan Conroy.  Debassy said Zongo's other brother, Douada, told him he said nothing because "he's waiting for justice to be done." The family, looking somber but colorful in African robes, spoke outside Manhattan Supreme Court, where Conroy will be tried for second-degree manslaughter. Conroy, then a 26-year-old rookie in plainclothes, was guarding counterfeit CDs seized inside Chelsea Mini Storage when he encountered Zongo, an immigrant from Burkina Faso who spoke little English and used a locker in the warehouse for his business of repairing African artifacts. Conroy told a grand jury last year he fired five shots when Zongo struggled to take his gun in the May 22, 2003, incident. The cop says he was justified in firing to defend his life. Prosecutor Armand Durastanti contends he was reckless in drawing his gun initially. The officer, Bryan A. Conroy, was quick to aim his gun at the man, Ousmane Zongo, an African immigrant, when the two encountered each other during the raid on a counterfeit CD operation, said the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Armand Durastanti.  Officer Conroy "took an nonthreatening situation and made it threatening by introducing lethal force," Mr. Durastanti said in his opening statement yesterday as Mr. Conroy's trial began in State Supreme Court in Manhattan. [more] and [more] and [more]

Pastors push bias complaint Against Springfield Police in Beating of Black School Principal

• Religious leaders file discrimination complaint against Springfield police

 A group of religious leaders have filed a racial discrimination complaint against the Springfield Police Department a week after the police commission decided not to take action against five white officers accused of beating a black school principal as he suffered a diabetic attack. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination announced it will start investigating the complaint lodged by the Pastors' Council of Greater Springfield. The complaint accuses the police department of having a history of brutality and discrimination against minorities. The complaint stems from a November incident when the five officers pulled Douglas Greer from his car as he was having a diabetic attack while parked at a convenience store, according to a statement released Tuesday by MCAD. Greer, the principal of the Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter School in Springfield, says the officers kicked and choked him and accused him of being on drugs. One of the officers in his report said police were trying to restrain Greer as he thrashed and screamed before he was taken to a hospital for treatment. The city's police commission voted last week not to take any action against the officers, saying they found no evidence of misconduct. One of the officers involved in the incident, Jeffrey Asher, was videotaped in 1997 while kicking a black suspect who was being arrested.[more] and  [more]

Federal probe of police started
The U.S. Justice Department has confirmed it is investigating a complaint by a black school principal who said he was beaten by white city police officers Nov. 4 as he was having a diabetic attack in his parked car in the North End of the city.  Perman Glenn III, the lawyer initially representing Douglas G. Greer, acting principal of Robert M. Hughes Academy Charter School, said earlier that he received a letter from the U.S. Justice Department saying it had asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the allegation. The FBI is part of the Justice Department.  Eric Holland, a spokesman for the Justice Department, confirmed this week there is an ongoing federal investigation. He would not say specifically whether the FBI is investigating. He said he does not know how long the investigation will take. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is also investigating the incident at the request of the Pastors Council of Greater Springfield. The probe could take three to four months, an agency official said. [more]

Judge Dismisses Criminal Case Against Black Teen Beat Down by Calumet City Cops for Jay Walking

A Cook County judge Tuesday dismissed the criminal case against a Calumet City teenager who was charged with attacking a police officer after the teen was arrested for jaywalking last August. The dismissal came only days after it was learned city officials are seeking to suspend the officer for allegedly using excessive force against Don Pennington Jr., 16, inside the police station following Pennington's arrest. The city also settled recently a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by Pennington's family. "I feel that they should have dismissed it," Vickie Pennington, the boy's mother, said outside Judge Michael Stuttley's courtroom in Markham. "Now I feel that justice has been served. He's a good kid." Stuttley dismissed the case after prosecutors indicated they wanted to drop the two counts of battery against Pennington, a standout basketball player at Thornton Fractional North High School. The boy's parents said that it was their son who was punched repeatedly by 14-year police veteran Louis Picicco after the teen was arrested for jaywalking near the school Aug. 24. City officials said an internal investigation showed no evidence that Pennington had thrown a table at Picicco as the officer had said. City Attorney Burt Odelson said Picicco is scheduled to appear before the city's Police and Fire Commission Thursday. The city is seeking to suspend Picicco without pay until the commission reaches a final decision on disciplinary action. "Depending on what the evidence is, the commission could do a variety of things," Odelson said. "They could give him no discipline, suspend him or terminate him." Attempts to reach Picicco Tuesday were unsuccessful. [more]

• Officers incensed over settlement [more

• Attorney calls Cal City cop a political fall guy [more]

Coroner's Role Questioned in Police Killing of Charles Dixon

• Criminal Charges Still NOT Filed in Police Murder of Black Man
  

Allegheny County Coroner Cyril Wecht said Saturday he had already recommended charges against police in the death of Charles Dixon when the man's relatives asked him to be an expert witness in a federal wrongful death lawsuit. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is investigating a $5,000 payment to Wecht by a law firm working for relatives of Dixon, a 43-year-old Altoona man smothered in 2002 as police tried to handcuff him during a brawl at the Mt. Oliver Fire Hall. Wecht recommended that Zappala pursue criminal charges in Dixon's death, and said yesterday that he was approached two months later by J. Kerrington Lewis, a lawyer for the Dixon family, about writing a report for the lawsuit filed against police. Wecht was paid $5,000 for the report, which explained positional asphyxiation, which the coroner's office cited as Dixon's cause of death. Zappala's criminal investigation of Wecht comes as the two the district attorney and Wecht battle in court over whether the coroner has the authority to use inquests to determine whether anyone should be held accountable for a death. Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning is expected to issue an opinion sometime this week. Zappala's office also is looking into contracts Wecht has as an independent forensic pathologist with seven other counties to conduct autopsies on cases outside Allegheny County. Zappala has said that for several years, there has been a backlog of evidence testing in the coroner's office. As county coroner, Wecht ruled that Dixon died due to positional or mechanical asphyxiation when arresting officers placed the 300-pound man face-down while trying to arrest him. Wecht ruled in July 2003 that the death was a homicide and police should be charged, but he couldn't determine which officers should be charged. He urged Zappala to identify the offices and prosecute them. Criminal charges have not been filed.  [more]

• March in Mt. Oliver protests police-linked killings of 3 blacks [more]

• Witness says police suffocated friend [more]

• Expert: Altoona man was suffocated by police [more]

• Altoona man's family settles lawsuit in arrest death [more] and [more] and [more]

Coroner says fatal shot not fired by Louisville police- Black Man Committed Suicide

A man involved in a shooting incident with Louisville Police outside a restaurant committed suicide, according to the Jefferson County Coroner.  Joshua Rucker, 29, of Shelbyville, died Tuesday morning after being struck in the head by a bullet from his own semiautomatic weapon, Jefferson County Coroner Ron Holmes said.  At least one police officer also fired during the incident outside a Bob Evans restaurant near Interstate 65.  It was initially unclear who shot Rucker.  The confrontation happened when officers were called to a complaint of suspicious persons in the parking lot at the restaurant.  When they arrived, two officers found five suspects in a car and asked them to get out of the car separately so they could be questioned, according to Police Chief Robert White.  Before the last suspect was taken out, one of the officers heard a round being chambered into a gun and alerted his partner and that's when gunfire erupted, according to Chief White.  Coroner Ron Holmes said that Rucker fired two rounds.  The two police officers involved in the incident will remain on administrative leave while the case is reviewed.  [more] and [more]

• Shooting apparently a suicide [more]
• Four Metro cops fired for using excessive force - Handcuffed White boy Beat Down [more]

Chicago Officers cleared in fatal shooting of Summit teen

• Chicago police say 14-year-old started events that led to death [more]
  

Chicago police officers shot and killed a 15-year-old boy. Officers said the teen was wanted in the robbery of a 13-year-old. Officials said the older teen stole a cell phone and gold chain from the younger boy as he was leaving a Lawndale pizza place. Police were called and an unmarked squad car spotted the vehicle the boy was seen getting into, a white Ford Explorer. Inside the SUV, which was possibly stolen, were three suspected robbers. Police gave chase. When the officers attempted to pull the SUV over, the occupants allegedly opened fire on the squad car. "The only thing I see was a lot of cops running in each way," said Mario Maya, witness. Herman Medina, 15, was killed, while another occupant of the SUV was wounded. A third man was taken into police custody. This morning, a memorial sits at the site of the shooting. Those who knew the teen's family --who reportedly once lived in a basement apartment in suburban Summit – were shocked by his death. "I'm getting Goosebumps because I've known the family m whole life and it's just very shocking. I can hardly believe that he was involved in something like this," said Sara McNeil, neighbor. Neighbors say Medina most recently attended the Pride Alternative School in nearby Burbank. Police believe Medina and the other men are gang members. Authorities say they recovered one gun in the vehicle driven by the men. Meanwhile, the investigation into the shooting continues as officials determine whether the shooting was justified. "Shootings on the South Side, policemen had to come to his defense, had to protect themselves. Everybody should realize very dangerous job, gangs, guns and drugs. not only to citizens, but police officers on the streets," said Mayor Daley. No police officers were wounded in the incident. Police said that it might be Monday before they have the results of their roundtable discussion. [more]

• Officers cleared in fatal shooting of Summit teen [more]

Chicago: Taser sends Black teen into cardiac arrest

A 14-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest after police shot him with a Taser stun gun, raising new questions about a weapon that is already the subject of a federal investigation. The boy was regaining consciousness Wednesday but was not yet talking, said Cook County Public Guardian Robert Harris. Police spokesman David Bayless said the 6-foot-2, 220-pound boy, a ward of the state since 1999, attacked three employees at the group home where he lives Monday, and an officer used the Taser because the boy lunged at him. Taser International Inc. spokesman Steve Tuttle said the company's stun guns, which deliver 50,000 volts of electricity, "are among the safest alternatives available to law enforcement to subdue violent individuals." The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced an inquiry into the Scottsdale, Ariz., manufacturer's safety claims. The Arizona Republic has reported 84 deaths after a shock from a Taser since 1999. The 6-foot-tall, approximately 200-pound boy had struck staff employees and threatened firefighters reporting to the scene, according to Cargie. When an Albany Park District sergeant attempted to calm the boy in a general room at the group home, the boy "jumped" off the couch toward the sergeant, causing him to use the stun gun, Cargie said. But, officials at the public guardian's office say the teen was no longer violent when officers arrived. The boy was taken to Children's Memorial Hospital, but Cargie could not say if he was taken due to injuries sustained from the Taser gun or for previous injuries. He remained at Children's Memorial Tuesday night and his condition had stabilized, Cargie said. Only Chicago Police sergeants carry Taser guns and are trained in their use. The device shoots darts carrying electrical impulses that override the central nervous system long enough to subdue someone.
[more] and [more] and [more]

• Pictured above: "It's very inappropriate what happened to the kid," said Cook County Public Guardian Robert Harris. [more]
• Man hit by cop stun gun dies [more]
• Despite Rising Death Toll, Police generally pleased with Tasers [more]
• DCFS To Sue Police For Using Taser On Teen [more]

Amnesty International Calls on Police to Stop Using TASERs on Children, the Elderly, and Persons With Disabilities

Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is calling for US law enforcement to stop using TASERs on children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities unless those individuals pose an immediate threat to themselves, the life of an officer or a member of the public. AIUSA renews its call following the shooting on Monday of a 14-year-old Chicago boy, who was unconscious for two days after being shot with a TASER and then going into cardiac arrest. There have been other recent new reports regarding children, seniors, and person with disabilities being shot with TASER guns. "The gun's manufacturer tested TASERs on a few dogs and pigs and has extrapolated from that limited research that the product is safe to use on children, seniors, and people with disabilities," said Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, AIUSA. "Before those claims can be taken seriously, parents should know the potential effects of being shot with a TASER – that it might affect their child's development. The families of people dealing with mental illness or neurological disorders have a right to know how a 50,000 volt shock will affect a loved one with Alzheimer's or Multiple Sclerosis." Dr. Schulz went on to say, "TASER abuse in the US has risen to a level that now demands the immediate attention of lawmakers. Instead of being an alternative to lethal force, police departments are clearly using TASERs in situations where they would have never used guns, batons, pepper spray, or any other type of force. These guns were not designed to be used cavalierly on nonviolent, vulnerable populations." In November 2004, Amnesty International released a report, Excessive and Lethal Force?: Deaths and Ill-treatment Involving Police Use of TASERs, that documents 74 TASER-related deaths in the US and Canada and finds that the widespread use of TASERs has dangerously expanded the boundaries of "acceptable" levels of force. [more]

• Chicago Rethinks Its Use of Stun Guns [more]
• The largest association of police chiefs will issue a national bulletin within 10 days urging police departments to review the use of stun guns because of reports that the weapons may be related to numerous deaths. [more]

Madison, WI - 14 Year Old Black Boy Tasered at School

Surveillance video from the Madison School District leaves some questions unanswered in the controversial incident of a student being shot with a Taser weapon last week. The video shows there is a physical confrontation taking place.What is also on the tape are other students going about their daily business, and that's what's puzzling to some officials who have seen the tape. The surveillance tape is hard to follow because the camera is programmed to make continuous sweeps and pans.It does not zero in on the officer struggling to handcuff the 14-year-old boy.The boy was being arrested on what would later turn out to be a faulty warrant."The interesting thing about the tape is there are a lot of folks who are walking by and not responding to the incident as if it's not out of the normal," said MMSD board President Bill Keyes."Is it because they don't see it? Is it because they regard it as normal, or is it they regard it as nothing unsafe? It's hard to say just what is going on.""But the critical moment -- the instance of the Tasering is not visible at all," said Keyes. "So, there's no conclusion to draw about what happened."The boy's mother and another school board member, Juan Lopez  believe police may have used excessive force. 'What I've seen so far doesn't warrant the use of a taser. My first impression was there's an African American kid that's being picked on. That should not be occurring in our schools or in our community, period,'' said Lopez. The surveillance video comes just as national media raise new questions over the controversial weapon.Just this week, a 14-year-old Chicago boy went into cardiac arrest after being hit.Some critics have linked Tasers to as many as 70 deaths across the country. [more] and [more]