Attorney's illness prompts new trial date for Minneapolis officer who Beat Down 14 Year Old Black Boy
Saturday, April 9, 2005 at 02:25PM
TheSpook
David Shulman was telling a federal
jury about his 14-year-old client who allegedly had been beaten by a
police officer when Shulman collapsed. Sgt. Jeffrey Jindra, the
Minneapolis officer accused of the beating, jumped from his chair and
raced to Shulman's side. He checked Shulman's pulse, loosened his
collar and talked to him, Jindra's attorney said Wednesday, describing
the scene Tuesday inside the courtroom. "What's your name?" Jindra
asked. "What's your date of birth? Are you a diabetic?" Jindra's
attorney, Timothy Skarda, said he had talked with Shulman's law
partner, who said Shulman had a virus over the weekend but is expected
to recover. On Wednesday U.S. District Judge
John Tunheim dismissed the jury and set a new trial date . In an order filed late Wednesday, Tunheim
cited Shulman's unexpected illness and the impossibility of resuming
trial until May 17. Skarda said the discussion never involved what
effect Jindra's actions might have on the jury's view of the officer
accused of police brutality and racial profiling. Damani Bediako
claimed in the suit brought by his mother in June 2003 that Jindra beat
him after Bediako was stopped outside a Minneapolis convenience store.
According to the lawsuit, when the boy attempted to produce his wallet
as ordered, Jindra put him in a chokehold, punched him and slammed him
to the ground. Jindra was cleared by the U.S. Justice Department of
alleged civil rights violations in that case. [more]
Last year the accused officer, Jeffrey Jinda was also accused of
sodomozing Stephen Porter with the handle of a bathroom plunger. [more] and [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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